A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF LEGAL FRAMEWORK ON TERRORISM BETWEEN NIGERIAAND USA

Abstract

This paper critically examines the legal frameworks analyzing counter- terrorism efforts in Nigeria. It provides a comprehensive overview of the key legislative instruments, (The terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 and its subsequent amendments), evaluating their conformity with international legal Standards, and Human rights obligations under international law. It also assesses Nigeria's national counter- terrorism strategy, highlighting policy initiatives aimed at prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation. This work defines key concepts such as terrorism, national security, and Counter terrorism, and examines how these intersect within counterterrorism in Nigeria. This work adopts a doctrinal approach in analyzing the legal framework to identify the human rights implication of counter-terrorism measures in Nigeria. The findings show that Nigeria has made significant efforts in the fight against terrorism through its counter terrorism laws and policies and thus has attained varying levels of human rights abuses /violations. The paper identifies critical challenges including legal ambiguities, enforcement gaps, and allegations of human rights violations. Significantly, this research recommends legal and policy reforms to enhance the effectiveness, accountability of Nigeria's counter-terrorism framework, advocating a more balanced approach that safeguards national security while upholding the rule of law and human rights protection. his study also recommend the strengthening of Nigerian legal and institutional frameworks by widening their scope as that of other international countries like UK and USAby enhancing. interagency coordination and resource allocation. Finally, this work concludes with a call for balancing counter-terrorism laws with human rights protections mechanisms in the war against terrorism.