Nigeria Made a Deal with Boko Haram. Was it Worth it?

In 2024, Nigeria secretly negotiated a ceasefire with Boko Haram following a hostage crisis in Borno State. Both sides publicly deny the deal exists, yet violence has measurably decreased since June. The government hopes to eventually turn Boko Haram against rival group ISWAP, while the insurgents gain crucial breathing room. Sources https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7xrzsi https://www.jointdatacenter.org/literature_review/insecurity-resource-scarcity-and-migration-to-camps-of-internally-displaced-persons-in-northeast-nigeria/ https://leadership.ng/ngoshe-boko-haram-releases-416-kidnapped-borno-women-kids/ https://saharareporters.com/2026/04/10/boko-haram-releases-disturbing-video-416-abducted-women-children-borno-victims-beg https://guardian.ng/news/nigeria/metro/boko-haram-frees-416-abducted-residents-of-ngoshe-in-borno/ https://www.legit.ng/nigeria/1729758-report-fg-allegedly-agrees-secret-ceasefire-boko-haram-faction/ https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2026/09/07/exclusive-nigerian-government-and-boko-haram-strike-secret-ceasefire-deal http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/9/nigeria-boko-haram-reportedly-reach-secret-three-month-ceasefire https://www.humanglemedia.com/boko-haram-rejects-ceasefire-ransom-deal-with-nigerian-government-in-new-video https://sbmintelligence.substack.com/p/no-comment-is-the-official-comment https://acleddata.com/expert-comment/violence-actually-decreasing-after-boko-harams-alleged-ceasefire-deal-nigeria https://thesun.ng/12-killed-as-boko-haram-attacks-adamawa-community-burns-church-loots-shops/ https://truthnigeria.com/2026/08/fulani-militias-accused-of-targeting-christian-communities-in-northeastern-nigeria/ https://www.crisisgroup.org/crisiswatch/august-trends-and-september-alerts-2026#nigeria https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nnorth-east/881473-naf-bombards-boko-haram-commanders-stronghold-in-borno.html https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2266865544164398 https://issafrica.org/iss-today/boko-haram-s-cameroonian-commanders-are-extending-the-group-s-reach https://newsletter.insightthreatintel.com/p/jnims-50-million-windfall https://theconversation.com/funding-terror-how-west-africas-deadly-jihadists-get-the-money-they-need-to-survive-242306 https://archive.is/EoVeW https://www.crisisgroup.org/brf/africa/west-africa/nigeria/b196-jas-vs-iswap-war-boko-haram-splinters https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/897686-tinubu-restructures-nigerian-army-creates-four-new-divisions-to-make-12.html https://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/08/nigeria-will-need-more-bigger-army-tackle-security-challenges