Author(s) :

NA’IMA HARUNA IZGE, ELIZABETH AISHATU BATURE, PhD.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Abstract The escalation of Boko Haram insurgency in Northeastern Nigeria since 2009 prompted diverse state and community responses, among which the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) emerged as a decisive non-state security actor. This study presents a systematic literature review of the CJTF’s role in counter-insurgency operations in Borno State between 2015 and 2025. Using structured searches across academic databases, grey literature, and policy documents, the review applies inclusion criteria focused on peer-reviewed works, reports, and studies addressing operational, governance, and socio-political dimensions of the CJTF. The thematic analysis reveals four dominant findings. First, the CJTF provided substantial operational contributions through intelligence gathering, local knowledge, and combat support, enhancing military effectiveness. Second, its activities raised significant human rights concerns, including allegations of extra-judicial killings, forced recruitment, and sexual violence, thereby undermining community protection. Third, challenges in governance, legal recognition, and professionalisation highlight the ambiguities of hybrid security arrangements in fragile states. Finally, the absence of comprehensive disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) frameworks poses long-term risks of militia re-mobilisation and insecurity. The review concludes that while the CJTF has been instrumental in reducing Boko Haram’s territorial control, it also complicates Nigeria’s security governance and transitional justice efforts. Policy implications include the need for formalised engagement, legal accountability, gender-sensitive DDR programmes, and integration into broader security sector reform. Identified research gaps call for longitudinal, comparative, and community-level studies to assess the CJTF’s evolving role. This review contributes to scholarship on hybrid security governance and provides policy-relevant insights into managing non-state armed groups in counter-insurgency contexts.

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