Policy brief
Published:
Replacing the state
Written by
Idayat Hassan
Nigerian lawyer, senior associate (non-resident) with the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and former director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja
Ed.
Summary:
Military action alone is insufficient to defeat jihadist insurgency in northeast Nigeria; ISWAP persists by functioning as a proto-state providing justice and services.
Insurgents fill the vacuum left by the state’s failure to provide security and infrastructure in rural areas.
Reclaiming authority requires re-placing insurgent governance archi-tectures with predictable state administration.
Rapid restoration of services and civilian protection in liberated areas are vital to preventing insurgent return.
Reintegration must address returnee expectations shaped by their experience of alternative rule.
Note: An updated version was published 8 June 2026.
Insurgents fill the vacuum left by the state’s failure to provide security and infrastructure in rural areas.
Reclaiming authority requires re-placing insurgent governance archi-tectures with predictable state administration.
Rapid restoration of services and civilian protection in liberated areas are vital to preventing insurgent return.
Reintegration must address returnee expectations shaped by their experience of alternative rule.
Note: An updated version was published 8 June 2026.
- Published year: 2026
- Publisher: Norwegian Institute of International Affairs
- Page count: 4
- Language: English
- Volume: 2026
- Booklet: 8
Written by
Idayat Hassan
Nigerian lawyer, senior associate (non-resident) with the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and former director of the Centre for Democracy and Development in Abuja