Abstract
The study appraised the strategies employed by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in counter-terrorism operations in Borno State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: find out the strategies employed by the JTF in counter-terrorism, ascertain the extent to which terrorist attacks were prevented, and assess public perceptions of the effectiveness of these strategies in countering terrorism. The study adopted the Situational Crime Prevention Theory as its theoretical framework. Methodologically, the research design is mixed-method. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to 984 respondents, while qualitative data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 18 stakeholders, including JTF personnel, community leaders, and members of the Civilian Joint Task Force. Findings revealed that the JTF employed multiple complementary strategies, including roadblocks and stop-and-search operations, intelligence gathering and information sharing, surveillance, patrols, curfew enforcement, enhanced access control to public places, and community policing. The study found that a majority of respondents believed these strategies had positively impacted counter-terrorism efforts, with majority acknowledging their contribution to reducing terrorist activities. Respondents further estimated that while numerous terrorist attacks occurred. The JTF successfully prevented between 11 and 19 attacks. The findings also indicated that the JTF's operations contributed significantly to the rescue of abducted persons, the recapture of communities previously occupied by insurgents, and the restoration of public confidence in security institutions. However, there are few challenges as terrorist attacks have not been completely eradicated. It therefore recommends that intelligence-led operations should be enhanced through improved; provision of adequate funding, modern equipment, armored vehicles, communication gadgets, and welfare packages to enhance the operational capabilities and morale of security personnel, etc.