The etymological heritage of the word cornucopia evokes images of abundance, sustenance, and overflowing plenty. Yet, according to NIVONEWS, this analysis invokes the phrase terrorism cornucopia as a deliberate oxymoron—capturing the grim reality of Nigeria’s overwhelming abundance of extremist violence and insurgent terror.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Terrorism itself defies universal definition, often shaped by political, ideological, or strategic context. One man’s terrorist, as the saying goes, is another’s liberator. Three authoritative postulations illustrate this definitional dilemma.

The United Nations Security Council (2004), for instance, defined terrorism as any act aimed at causing death or severe harm to civilians, intended to intimidate a population or coerce a government. Similarly, Alex P. Schmid in The Routledge Handbook of Terrorism Research (2011) described terrorism as anxiety-inducing, violent acts by clandestine actors, targeting symbols rather than individuals. However, Noam Chomsky, in his provocative work The Myth of American Idealism (2024), contends that by applying the U.S. Department of Defense’s own definition of terrorism, the United States itself could be categorized as a terrorist state.

Chomsky argues that former U.S. Presidents such as George W. Bush and Richard Nixon fit this definition—Bush for invading Iraq under false pretenses, and Nixon for the brutal “Christmas bombings” of North Vietnam. This double standard, Chomsky posits, reflects an entrenched global hypocrisy: terrorism is something “done to us,” never “by us.”

This dichotomy reveals three critical insights. First, powerful states often sidestep the rule of law in the pursuit of policy objectives. Second, major powers like the U.S. and Israel reject international scrutiny—especially from the International Criminal Court—when it involves their military forces. Third, the asymmetry of power allows dominant states to wage campaigns of terror while evading the terrorism label, as seen in the Israel-U.S. versus Iran conflict (2025), the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to NIVONEWS, this definitional ambiguity holds particular relevance for Nigeria—a nation grappling with its own terrorism cornucopia. The term aptly captures the sheer scale of extremist violence, ideological warfare, mass kidnappings, sexual violence, and ethnic cleansing that continue to destabilize the country.

In Nigeria, insurgency and terrorism are two sides of the same deadly coin. These campaigns—marked by asymmetric warfare, brutal raids, and the targeting of non-combatants—are propagated by groups such as Boko Haram, ISWAP, Ansaru, and other militias with diverse motivations ranging from ideology and politics to economics and religious extremism.

This unpredictability has hamstrung Nigeria’s ability to craft effective, intelligence-driven responses. The insurgents’ strategy of blending in with civilian populations only deepens the complexity, often drawing unwilling support from local communities who face the threat of violence or starvation.

On a global scale, the last three decades offer ample evidence of terrorism’s transnational scope: the 9/11 attacks in the U.S., the 7/7 London bombings, the 2008 Mumbai siege, the 2004 Beslan school massacre, and the deadly 2017 Sinai mosque bombing in Egypt, among others. More recently, 40 Malian troops were killed in early 2025 by Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), underscoring how terrorism knows no borders.

The toll in Nigeria is staggering. Between 2006 and 2021, over 50,252 Nigerians were killed due to terrorism, as reported by the National Centre for Biotechnology Information. Add to that millions of internally displaced persons, countless destroyed communities, and a persistent sense of insecurity, and one begins to appreciate the gravity of the crisis.

This raises a vital question: What does a robust, adaptive, and sustainable counter-terrorism strategy for Nigeria look like?

Several efforts have been made—restructuring security agencies, deploying multinational forces, adopting a carrot-and-stick approach with so-called “repentant terrorists,” and recalibrating kinetic and non-kinetic operations. Yet, terrorism persists, largely concentrated in the North and Middle Belt but showing signs of expanding southward.

It is no coincidence that Nigeria ranks among the top 10 most terrorism-impacted nations in the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, alongside Afghanistan, Syria, Mali, Niger, and others. Boko Haram, ISWAP, and their affiliates have killed more than 100,000 people and displaced over 2 million.

Southern Nigeria is not immune either—armed robbers, ritualists, kidnappers, and separatist groups operate with impunity in some regions.

This terrorism cornucopia must be understood not just as a security issue, but as a systemic national crisis demanding a unified, innovative, and justice-centered approach.

”NIVONEWS REPORTS”