HUMAN RIGHTS AND MILITARISM
(A CASE OF BOKOHARAM IN NIGERIA)
BY
ANI JOSEPH UCHECHUKWU
GOU/Lo/0385
PRESENTED TO.
DEPARTMENT DF POLITICAL SCIENCE,
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SCIENCES,
GODFREY OKOYE UN1VERSITY,
UGWUOMU NIKE ENUGU,
ENUGU STATE.

PROJECT SUBMITIED TO THE FACTULTY OF THE MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL 
SCIENCE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF 
BACHELORS DEGREE.
SUPERVISOR: DR. SAMUEL OGBU

July, 2014

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ABSTRACT
This research was on Human rights, Militarism and Boko Haram.  It aimed 
at establishing whether militarism exist in Nigeria and violate human 
rights. In addition, whether a most sitting example is found in the activity 
of the group known as Boko Haram. Three hypotheses where evaluated. It 
was found that human rights are universal and inalienable, militarism in 
certain context applies to Nigeria, and Boko Haram forcefully violates 
human rights of Nigerians. The researcher recommended that government 
at all level should reject corruption and truly serve the people. Also there 
       should be a call for truce.
       Key words: Rights, Human rights, Militarism, Force and Boko Haram

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CHAPTER ONE

INTROO-UCTION

1.0 Background of the Study

Nigeria is a country of great diversity and contradiction. A country with

over 150 million people spread across 250 different ethnic groups, a lot of

them either Christians or Muslims. It has excellent wealth, yet is full of

poor people. Christians live in the supposedly Muslim north; Muslims live

in the supposedly Christian south, and some ethnic groups (like the

Yoruba) practice both Christianity and Islam. Yet through all the

contradiction, diversity, and linguistic confusion, there has been one

constant in Nigerian life: use of military interference in resolving societal

issues. This is as a consequence of a prevailing militarism consciousness

and practice in the country.

Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country

should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it

aggressively to defend or promote national interests. It may also imply the

glorification of the ideals of a professional military class" and the

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"predominance of the armed forces in the administration or policy of the 
state" (www.wikipedia.org).Militarism is a doctrine or system that values 
'war and accords primacy in state and society to the armed forces. 
According to the New International Webster's Twentieth Century 
Dictionary (2004), Militarism is a military spirit ideal and attitudes of 
professional soldiers, and the glorification or prevalence of such a spirit, 
ideals etc. in a nation or the predominance of the military caste in 
government. It is a phenomenon easily noticed in societies where for a very 
long period military rule has become dominant and preponderant. 
According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 
(2009) as published in www.FreeDictionary.com.Militarism is defined as:
  1.	Glorification of the ideals of a professional military class.
  2.   Predominance of the armed forces in the administration or policy of the
 state.
  3. 	 A policy in which military preparedness is of primary importance to a 
        state.

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On another hand, the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary .com defined 
militarism as the opinions or actions of people who believe that a country 
should use military methods, forces, etc., to gain power and to achieve its
goals.
la: predominance of the military class or its ideals 
1 b: exaltation of military virtues and ideals
 2: a policy of aggressive military preparedness
Militarism has two elements: first, it is the application of the worldview of 
the military to civil society or domination of society by military values 
such values are regimentation, order or discipline, commands and violence. 
The second element of militarism is the general building of instruments of 
coercion in society coupled with the prevalence of the use of violence or 
coercion to solve inter-personal or inter-group problems. It is in the 
context of this second element that this study is carried out.
To the military it possesses one best way to solve problems be it political, 
economic or cultural matters: coercion This it does, forgetting that it is not 
made to administer, rather it is an organized force made legitimate by the

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society for the sole function of protecting it from internal and external 
aggression and/or offensive and defensive purposes. In the course of their 
disregard for their primary duty, the military element of a society can 
trample on peoples basic entitlements. One such entitlement that is easily 
set aside is Human right.
The United Nations Organization in the book HUMAN RlGHTS: A Basic 
Handbook for UN Staff opined that Human rights are commonly 
understood as being those rights which are inherent to the human being. 
The concept of human rights acknowledges that every single human being 
is entitled to enjoy his or her human rights without distinction as to race, 
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social 
origin, property, birth or other status. Human rights are inherent 
entitlements that come to every person as a consequence of being human. 
Human rights are integral to the promotion of peace and security, economic 
prosperity, and social equity.

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A society is usually heterogeneous if different stakeholders are appreciably 
represented in it. Nigeria is so. In it are various interest groups of diverse 
colourations. Each makes the most effort to promote and actualize its 
ideals. In the course of such pursuit, an interest group may trample on 
another in one or various ways with resultant consequences. A predominant 
interest group presently waving its flag high in Nigeria is the Jama'atu 
Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda' Awati Wal Jihad, known the world over as Boko 

   Haram.

In the words of Andrew Walker in the article "What Is Boko Haram? 
Published through www.usip.org, Boko Haram is an Islamic sect that 
believes northern politics has been seized by a group of corrupt, false 
Muslims. It wants to wage a war against them, and the Federal Republic of 
Nigeria generally, to create a "pure" Islamic state ruled by Sharia law. 
Since 2009 it has been driven by a desire for vengeance against politicians, 
police, and Islamic authorities for their role in a brutal suppression of the 
group that year. The consequence of the action of this group has grossly
 trampled on the rights of lots of Nigerians.

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Ezema (2013: 13) observed that Boko Haram activities have destabilized 
socio-economic activities, increased crime, and destruction of life and 
property of Nigerians and foreigners. This can be attested to by the mass 
movement of people leaving the Northeastern part of the country, most 
especially Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. This situation has made it 
impossible for the people in that part of Nigeria to carry on their legitimate 
businesses. It is also scaring foreigners out of the country. Students have 
been forced to flee for their schools. This group through coercion is driving 
home its interest pursuits without due consideration to humanity. It is this 
brazen coercive pursuit practice that the researcher identifies as relating to 
the earlier mentioned second element of militarism, which is the general 
building of instruments of coercion in society coupled with the prevalence 
of the use of violence or coercion to solve inter-personal or inter-group 
problems. The fallout of such practice by this body as it relates to
    fundamental human rights is the context of this research.

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1.2 Statement of the Problem
1. There is in existence human rights.
2. Militarism does not fittingly apply to Nigeria.
3. Boko haram forcefully violates human rights of Nigerians.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The following are the objectives of this study:
1. To determine the existence of Human rights.
2. To examine the context in which Militarism applies to Nigeria.
3. To overview how Boko haram through militarism violates human rights
in Nigeria.

1.4 Significance of the Study
The importance of this study to several quarters is outlined below:
Researchers in the academia can use the study as empirical reference for
their own related studies.

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The study will add to available literature and Increase the depth of 
knowledge on Human Rights and Militarism in Nigeria. A deeper 
reflection and understanding of insurgency in the country will be attained.

The Government, at all tiers and security agencies will use the findings of 
the study to redirect their policies, strategies, and approaches concerning 
improving human rights. The findings present them with current 
evaluations that address contemporary security challenges.

Society at large can draw from the recommendations of the study to adjust 
positively the relations between different interest groups that make it up.
1.5 Literature Review
Winter et al. (2007) defined militarism as a psychological rather than a 
physical process: Militarism is a set of values that support military 
activities and enable countries to mobilize for war. Militarism is as 
important during peace as it is during war. In fact, wars cannot be 
conducted unless militarism is nurtured long before wars begin. In 
democracies, somebody must provide a rationale for military expenditures

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and possible threats. The importance of military readiness must be 
articulated and that rationale must be persuasively communicated to the 
public. Legislative decision-makers must agree to allocate funds for the 
military, rather than to other forms of social spending.
In modern societies, support for military matters is often covert until armed 
conflict erupts. When soldiers fight wars, they must leave their families and 
join scores of other displaced persons to march, kill, and die for the sake of 
some political objective they often know little about. Because, as we have 
long known, war is not instinctual, people must be socialized to kill (May 
1943). The media helps the public understand the need to fight by 
objectifying the enemy and portraying it as evil (Hesse & Mack, 1991), and 
often-even subhuman (Reiber & Kelly, 1991). Such treatment 
communicates dire predictions of what might happen should the enemy 
prevail. For example, in the early stages of the Vietnam War, the public 
was continually warned that a communist government in Vietnam would 
only be the first of a line of falling dominoes that would eventually threaten 
the United States. Strong feelings of nationalistic identification get aroused,

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creating an us vs. them" dichotomy that is oversimplified and rigid 
(Tetlock, 1988). Military leaders on our side are depicted as heroes, and 
people questioning the wisdom of military action are portrayed as 
unpatriotic. Yet sudden psychological support of military actions cannot 
arise in a vacuum. Along with a well-rehearsed army, government leaders 
and the media build militaristic value systems between wars so that 
militaries can be instantly activated. In peacetime, such values are often 
latent.
Large numbers of citizens passively condone, if not support, their 
militaries, in order for them to function effectively when called upon. In 
this way, the line between peace and war becomes blurred. The first peace 
psychologist, William James, noted that "battles are only a public 
verification of the mastery gained during the peace interval. .. [The] 
preparation for war by nations is the real war, permanent, unceasing"
(James, 1910/1995, p. 19).

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1.6 Theoretical Framework
According to Ohara (2003:63), knowledge does not exist in a vacuum. In 
every descriptive, there is a body of theories that provides the explanation 
for observable phe nomena in that field. This section attempts to draw 
analogy between established theories and the problem being investigated 
where such analogies drawn even support the importance of the study. The 
theoretical requirement of this work is drawn from frustration-aggression 
theory, which I believe provided a detailed explanation for the emergence 
of Boko Haram insurgence in Nigeria. The theory was propounded and 
developed by John Dollard and his research associates initially developed 
in 1939 and has been expanded and modified by the likes of Leonard 
Berlowitz (1962) and Audrey Yales (1962). The theory properly created 
the analogy used within this research to explain the dynamics in Boko 
      Haram terrorism.
According to John Dollard (1939), he explained that it seems to be that 
most common explanation for violent behaviour stemmed from inability to 
fulfill needs. In attempts to explain aggression, scholars points to the

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difference between what people feel they want or deserve to what they 
actually get; the -want get-ratiotd (Teocrabends 1969) and difference 
between -expected need satisfactionld and actual need satisfaction 
(Davies, 1960). When expectation does not meet attainment, the tendency 
is for people to confront those responsible for frustrating their ambitions. 
Therefore, frustration aggression provides that aggression is not just 
undertaking as a natural reaction or instinct as realist and biological theorist 
assumes but that is the outcome of frustration and that is in a situation 
where the desire of an individual is denied either directly or by the 
indirectly consequence of the way the society is structured, the feeling of 
disappointment may lead such a person to express his anger through 
violence that will be directed those he holds responsible or people who are 
directly or indirect related to them (Akwen, 2011 :52-53). As described by 
        John Dollard, that most common explanation for violent behaviours is 
        instability to fulfill needs.

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Ho: Militarism does not in any context apply to Nigeria.
HI: Militarism in certain contexts applies to Nigeria.
HYPOTHESIS 3
Ho: Boko haram does not forcefully violate human rights of Nigerians.
HI: Boko haram forcefully violates human rights of Nigerians.
1.8 Method of Data Collection and Analysis
Data was collected through secondary sources. Given that this is a topical
issue, the secondary method of sourcing was adequate. Information was
sourced from textbooks, journals, magazines, newspapers and internet
publications.
The contextual fit the data collected have with the statement of the problem
and objectives of the study were the means of analysis. By conceptuality is

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meant how fitting does a data apply to the statement of the problem and 
objectives of the study. Each hypothesis addressed a specific operative 
      subtheme of the topic.
1.9 Scope and Limitation of the Study
Scope: The width of this study is too widely spread out. However, the 
research focuses on how human rights are affected by the activities of Boko 
Haram. Data between 2009 and 2012 were given most consideration.
Limitation: Carrying out a research of this magnitude was not easy. Ample 
time was not accorded for the study. Due to the continuous evolving nature 
of the topic of study, it was difficult determining extent of information to 
   draw upon.

1.10 Definition of Terms
Human rights: Those rights, which are inherent to the human being
Militarism: This is the general building of instruments of coercion 111
society coupled with the prevalence of the use of violence or coercion to 
solve inter-personal or inter-group problems.
Right: This is the moral or legal claim to have or get something or to

behave in a particular way.

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REFERENCES

Akwen, G.T. (2011), Theories of International Relations. Lap: Lambert 
            Academic Publisher.
     American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2009), USA,
Fourth 	Edition 	Houghton 	Mifflin 	Company. 	www.Free
Dictionary.htm

Ezema, O. O. (2013) The Socio-Economic Implications Of The Boko 
Haram Insurgence In Nigeria: 2009-2013. A Project Undertaken In 
   the Department Of Political Science, Caritas University, Amorji- 
             Nike, Enugu.

New International Webster's Twentieth Century Dictionary (2004), 
               Florida, Typhoon International Corporation.

United Nations Organization (2000) Human Rights: A Basic Handbook For 
UN Staff, Office Of The High Commissioner For Human Rights, 
              United Nations Staff College Project.

      Winter Deborah Du Nann, Pilisuk Marc, Houck Sara, and Lee Matthew 
              (2009)

Understanding Militarism: Money, Masculinity, And The Search For The 
   Mystical, Chapter Two of Peace, Conflict, And Violence: Peace 
Psychology For The 21st Century. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey:
    Prentice- Hall.
www.FreeMerriam-WebsterDictionary.com