Patricia Agupusi – The Government Corruption Enabling Islamist Terror in Nigeria

Earlier this month, I recorded a conversation with my friend Patricia Agupusi, assistant professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an expert on insurgencies, political violence, and state capture, among other topics. She has lived and worked extensively in Nigeria, where her fieldwork included interviewing Nigerians displaced by political, ethnic, and religious violence. When I asked Patricia to come on the show, I was seeking some background on the Trump administration’s statements about anti-Christian violence perpetrated by Boko Haram in the northern part of the country. I suspected that the situation, while undoubtedly dire for Christians, was more complex than the White House’s messaging made it sound.My suspicions turned out to be correct. In this episode, Patricia offers a nuanced account of terrorism, religious radicalism, interethnic conflict, and government corruption and neglect that has led to the deaths and displacement not only of many Christians in northern Nigeria, but of many Muslims as well. Patricia provides a rich account of the region and its history. It was recorded weeks before the US conducted an aerial strike on Sokoto, a predominately Muslim state that many have described as an unusual choice, if the goal was to inflict damage on major terrorist networks.In this conversation, Patricia expressed skepticism at the efficacy of US military intervention. The strike seems to have done little to change her mind. In an email to me sent after the attack, she wrote:Due to the urgency of the matters under discussion, I’m releasing this episode today, to everyone, for free Normally, only full subscribers get new episodes on Mondays. The Glenn Show is almost entirely viewer supported, so to those of us who are already full subscribers, let me extend a heartfelt thank you. And if you’re not yet a full subscriber, please consider becoming one. The Glenn Show can only do what it does through the generosity of viewers and listeners. For a mere $6/month or $50/year, you’ll get weekly episodes of The Glenn Show earlier than their public release, monthly Q&A episodes with John McWhorter, access to the full Substack archives, and other exclusive bonus content.Video Links0:00 Intro: Last week’s military strikes in Nigeria00:36 Getting beneath the headlines in northern Nigeria 3:55 What is Boko Haram?4:28 Childcare intermission: How Glenn and Patricia started working together7:19 Boko Haram’s attack and recruitment strategies 11:44 Patricia: Boko Haram targets both Christians and Muslims13:33 Ground News ad15:25 The complex religious demographics of northern Nigeria 19:16 The history of Nigerian jihad23:27 The state’s complacent reaction to anti-Christian violence33:57 Patricia’s fieldwork with internally displaced Nigerians 36:16 Patricia: Fear and government dysfunction, not poverty, motivate people to join Boko Haram41:14 The surprising popularity of US intervention among Nigerians43:32 Patricia: If the US wants to help, it should sanction politicians and their families54:10 The pointlessness of US military intervention 58:01 The best case scenario for Nigeria’s next decadeRecorded December 4, 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe