Assessment of Human Rights Compliance in Nigeria’s Counter-Terrorism Operations in Borno State

Counter-terrorism military operations in Nigeria's North East have generated significant allegations of human rights violations by security forces, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and enforced disappearances, raising questions about the long-term security and legitimacy consequences of such conduct. This study assessed the human rights dimensions of counter-terrorism operations in Maiduguri Metropolitan and Jere Local Government Areas, Borno State, North East Nigeria. A qualitative design was employed, combining documentary analysis of human rights reports from Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN Office of Human Rights from 2019 to 2023, with structured interviews with eight internally displaced persons who had direct security force interaction experiences and four human rights lawyers working in the state. Thematic and documentary analysis was applied. Results identified five categories of documented violations: arbitrary detention without charge (present in 87.5 percent of reviewed incident reports), extrajudicial killings attributed to security forces (62.5 percent), property destruction during operations (75 percent), sexual violence against women in conflict areas (50 percent), and denial of humanitarian access (37.5 percent). Accountability mechanisms including courts martial were activated in fewer than 5 percent of documented incidents. The study concludes that human rights violations in counter-terrorism operations undermine community trust and long-term security. Recommendations include mandatory human rights training for all deployed personnel, independent oversight body establishment, and accountability for documented violations.

Keywords: counter-terrorism, human rights, Borno State, security operations, accountability