Mental Health as a Bridge to Peace

The Boko Haram insurgency in north-east Nigeria has created a situation of acute and enduring humanitarian need, with mass civilian kidnappings, an estimated 38,000 deaths, and over 3 million displaced by the conflict. This presents a critical leadership challenge, which in the past, has been answered unsuccessfully by state-sanctioned military responses. In this highly original, multidisciplinary book, Fatima Akilu – who has been tasked with designing Nigeria’s countering violent extremism (CVE) programme – argues for a radically different approach, one that treats violent extremism as a public health crisis and trauma as a peace and security issue. Drawing on many years of expertise working in psychology, health and education, Akilu has reimagined what leadership looks like when it comes to countering violent extremism through centring trauma. The book explores how mental health discourse can be used as a vehicle to strive towards peace in CVE work. Ultimately, this reveals the essential connection between a relational leadership approach and countering violent extremism through centring trauma, both in Nigeria and beyond.