FROM FOREIGN LANDS TO NIGERIAN BATTLEFIELDS: UNDERSTANDING THE INFLOW AND LEGAL DYNAMICS OF ‘FOREIGN TERRORIST FIGHTERS’ IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The threat to global peace posed by terrorism had been compounded by the phenomenon of ‘Foreign Terrorist Fighters’ (FTFs).While terrorism refers to the illegitimate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or threat of same on particularly ‘the innocent’ in pursuit of a set goal, ‘FTFs’ as a concept denotes individuals who travel or seek to travel to foreign states to perpetrate, plan, support, or train for terrorist acts, including in the context of armed conflicts. The involvement of FTFs in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Syria facilitated the spread of terrorist expertise, weaponry, and ideology across borders. These developments had enabled unprecedented transnational terrorist collaborations peaking with the ruthless September, 11, 2001 al Qaeda-led attack on the soil of the United States of America. Nigeria on its part had been significantly impacted by the menace of FTFs, particularly through the activities of Boko Haram and bandit groups supported by foreign elements. Concerns in this respect largely stemmed from the unabating nature and ever-expanding reach of terrorist threats in this milieu despite the existence of legal regimes, institutions and mechanisms meant to check terrorism both at the domestic and international level. The foregoing therefore informed the need for a structured legal probe through this study.