Influence of Boko Haram Terrorist Group’s Attacks on the Livelihoods of the Rural Dwellers in Nigeria: A Historical Stroke and Empirical Analysis

Abstract

The article reveals certain historical, socio-economic and demographic aspects of the attacks of Boko Haram terrorist group on the livelihoods of the rural population in Nigeria. The authors used a multidisciplinary approach and conducted a comprehensive analysis of the attacks on livelihoods by Boko Haram in Nigeria in the 21st century. The unique statistics collected through questionnaire survey and key informant interview revealed the causes of Boko Haram and its devastating attacks on livelihood occupations of the rural population in the context of Hawul Local Government Area, Borno State, Nigeria. The use of mean, standard deviation and percentage in the analysis of the questionnaire survey together with the KII reveal a thorough analysis of the complexities surrounding the attacks on livelihoods. This allowed the authors to trace the trends of the attacks in terms of its nature, dimension and scale as conducted by Boko Haram. This allowed for the understanding of the impact of the attacks on the livelihood patterns of the local population in the local context.

Keywords

• livelihoods
• boko haram
• rural dwellers
• borno state