Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria’s North-East: Rethinking the Experiences of the Barracks Women

Abstract

This article examines the experiences of the barracks women in the age of Boko Haram in Nigeria. It is an aspect of women’s history that has been overlooked in scholarly treatments due to military culture and “a closed community”. The Boko Haram insurgency has attracted global attention since the attack on the United Nations Headquarters in Abuja and the abduction of the Chibok Government Girls Secondary School. Consequently, Nigeria has become a “country of particular concern” due to terrorist activity. This article argues that the Boko Haram insurgency affected the barracks women. It brought physical and psychological trauma, economic and social disruptions, and the women’s protests in the barracks. Using qualitative data and an interdisciplinary approach to substantiate its claim, this article reveals that insurgency affected the lives and livelihoods of women in the barracks. It concludes that community and international collaboration would bring a peaceful resolution of the crisis.