Encounters and Lessons from Researching Nigerian Military Widows and Soldiers of the Boko Haram Conflict

The military is an institution that closely guards its methods and operations from outsiders. This presents unique challenges for researchers interested in studying the institution and its members. These challenges are evident in the Nigerian military, which has been engaged in conflicts with Islamist terrorist groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State in the West African Province in the northeastern region of the country. The Nigerian military community has felt the impact of the conflict, resulting in thousands of military widows and a significant number of permanently incapacitated and deceased soldiers.

This presentation aims to reflect on the experiences and outcomes of conducting fieldwork on the Nigerian military. I conducted field research in 2021 and 2024 for my doctoral dissertation on Nigerian military widows of the Boko Haram conflict and for independent research on narratives of post-combat stress among Nigerian soldiers who have participated in the Boko Haram conflict. This presentation provides a sneak peek into how I accessed, navigated, and negotiated the Nigerian military during these two research engagements and how I utilized both formal and informal means to achieve this.

Reflections on the methods and approaches used to access the Nigerian military contribute to the global literature on methodological issues in military social research. They underscore the importance of researchers reflecting on their work and striving to produce critical and socially enlightening knowledge about the military. This approach can deepen our understanding of and engagement with the institution.