INTERNAL SECURITY OPERATIONS AND HUMAN RIGHT ABUSE IN NIGERIA: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE MILITARY OPERATIONS IN NIGERIA: 2015 - 2023
Abstract
Since 2015, Nigeria has experienced an unprecedented expansion in internal security operations due to rising threats such as insurgency, terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and secessionist movements. The Nigerian Armed Forces, constitutionally established to defend the country from external aggression, have increasingly been deployed to maintain internal security.
The emergence of Boko Haram in the North-East significantly altered Nigeria’s security landscape. The group’s activities, including bombings, mass abductions, and territorial control, necessitated sustained military operations. Consequently, operations such as Operation Lafiya Dole (later renamed Operation Hadin Kai) were initiated.
Beyond the North-East, the military has also intervened in other regions facing instability. In the South-East, Operation Python Dance targeted separatist agitation, while Operation Crocodile Smile was deployed in the Niger Delta to combat militancy and oil theft. Similarly, operations like Operation Whirl Stroke addressed communal violence in the Middle Belt
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