Community Leaders as a Community Relations Strategy for the Fight against Insurgency in the North East of Nigeria: The Boko Haram Experience

Abstract

This study aimed at examining the influence of community leaders as a community relations strategy in fighting against Boko Haram insurgents in the North East, Nigeria. Specifically, the study strives to; ascertain the effect of community leaders’ collaboration with the Nigerian Army in building community trust, community participation, and knowledge sharing. The study adopted a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative survey research design. Face to face interview was conducted with the community leaders as part the qualitative study, while a structured questionnaire was administered to the local residents as part of the quantitative study. A total of 344 questionnaires were found to be correctly filled and suitable for this study. The stated Null hypotheses were analysed using Pearson product moment correlations. The results revealed that: community leaders’ collaboration with the Nigerian Army will have a significant effect on community trust, community participation, and knowledge sharing. This study concluded that Community relations strategies such as community leaders must be embraced to end the insurgency troubling the North East of Nigeria, as it helps in building community trust, community participation and knowledge sharing.