Harnessing Cyberspace Intelligence and the Fight against Boko Haram in North-Eastern Nigeria (Published)
Intelligence gathering is key to the war against terrorism. However, intelligence in the 21st century cannot make the desired impact without the use of cyber-space and cyber-intelligence. This is because terrorists in their resolve to over-come national boundaries in order to inflict terror on the populace find cyber-space as handy tool to use. Therefore, this paper argues that checkmating and monitoring the cyber-space is not an option but imperative to succeed the battle against terrorism. Evidence abound that Boko haram insurgents in Nigeria have appreciable track record of making use of cyber-space to perpetrate their atrocities. However, this paper discovers to its chagrin there is near lack of monitoring of Nigeria’s cyber-space. As a result, the terrorists are having a field-day in its usage. This has negative consequence on the nation’s quest to defeat boko haram. The paper therefore, challenges the security hierarchy in Nigeria to as a matter of urgency rise to the occasion.
Keywords: Boko Haram, Intelligence, Terrorism, cyber-intelligence, cyber-space