Abstract
This thesis work attempts to explain the reason why Boko Haram has been able to sustain its attacks in Nigeria despite government security response to the insurgency. To do that, the work looked at poor leadership and how inadequate funding, intelligence failure, lack of operational equipment and inadequate training has made the insurgency to spread rapidly. This work also highlights that intelligence gathering and management has not been able to effectively support the conduct of security operations in Nigeria. The work examines the claim by government and other social and security commentators on the issue of religious sympathizers of Boko Haram in government and Nigeria security outfits and how this phenomenon has helped to bolster the Boko Haram activities. This work also explained the military inability as been caused by lot of factors ranging from the lack of preparedness of the military, outdated and substandard weapon and necessary operational equipment, lack of internal democracy, low morale, porous boundaries, as well as police brutality towards the local people. Coupled with the activities of saboteurs of government’s and military efforts within the government and military establishment, who gives sensitive information of government and security strategies to the Boko Haram, the work also looked at poverty and religious sympathy in the emergence of and spread of the Boko Haram. The work also looked at the religious indoctrination and their alleged links with other terrorist organization in the West Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East.