EU Counter-Terrorism Cooperation with Nigeria: Focus on the Lake Chad Basin

This study examines the nature and scope of European Union counter-terrorism cooperation with Nigeria within the framework of the Lake Chad Basin Commission, focusing on the states of Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa in North-East Nigeria. The Lake Chad Basin has emerged as one of Africa's most complex security environments, with the Boko Haram insurgency and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) continuing to pose serious threats to civilian populations and regional stability. The EU has engaged in this security environment through a combination of financial support, capacity-building missions, and diplomatic coordination. This descriptive research draws on EU institutional publications, Nigerian security sector reports, and academic literature on African security governance published between 2020 and 2024. The study analyses the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) instruments as applied in the Lake Chad context and assesses the effectiveness of EU-Nigeria counter-terrorism cooperation frameworks. Particular attention is given to the EU's support for the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) and civilian protection programmes in displaced persons camps in Maiduguri and Damaturu. Findings suggest that while EU funding has supported humanitarian dimensions of the crisis, security cooperation outcomes remain limited by sovereignty constraints and coordination challenges. Keywords: EU counter-terrorism, Lake Chad Basin, Boko Haram, North-East Nigeria, security cooperation.