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The Islamic State in the West African province (ISWAP) has gained prominence in Lake Chad Basin by filling in the security, service delivery, and governance gaps in Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. This has won the group recruits and support in some communities, entrenching it in the region. Using the security- development-Governance nexus conceptual framework, this mixed methods study explores viable counter-terrorism measures in the Lake Chad Basin. The paper argues that although a military option is viable, combating underlying state failures and applying soft counter-terrorism measures will go a long way in restoring the state-community trust needed to defeat ISWAP.