‘Boko Haram’ (a terrorist organisation in Nigeria) had recently attacked a couple of villages in northern Nigeria and killed more than a dozen people.
The group also engages in regularly kidnapping school girls form the disturbed north-eastern towns of Nigeria – which is proving to be agonising.
What is the history of Boko Haram’s Rise?
Cultural Riots - The 2002 ‘Miss World pageant’ was initially planned to be organised in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja.
But the event was shifted to London due to security concerns arising out of religious tensions against the event.
The pretext was that ‘many Nigerian Muslims saw the event as an affront to their culture and perception of feminine modesty’.
Large-scale rioting and violence was particularly intense in the northern towns and more than 200 people were killed.
While the Boko Haram existed since the 1990s, it was during these riots that it gained prominence under the leadership of radical cleric ‘Mohammed Yusuf’.
Based mainly based in northeast Nigeria, the group is also active in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.
Ideology - In the “Hausa language” that is commonly spoken in northeast Nigeria, Boko Haram literally means “Western education is forbidden”.
The group despises anything that may be considered Western, including the established norms of liberal democracy.
As a consequence, it considers the Nigerian state an enemy, and wants an Islamic state governed by the Quranic principles and Shariat.
Significantly, in 2015, Boko Haram had pledged its allegiance to the ISIS.
How notorious has the group been?
Boko Haram had frequently staged armed attacks and bombings since its early days, but it was only in 2009 that the international community took notice.
Violence - In July 2009, Boko Haram carried out a spate of attacks on churches and government infrastructure and killed scores of policemen.
Hundreds of civilians and more than 700 terrorists are said to have died in the clashes that followed between security forces and Boko Haram.
While several top leaders including the organisation’s founder ‘Yusuf’ were said to have been assassinated, the group soon found a new leader in ‘Shekau’.
In 2014 alone, Boko Haram was responsible for 6,644 deaths, which is even higher than Islamic State’s (IS) 6,073 during the same period.
Kidnapping - UNICEF has recently stated that “Boko Haram” had kidnapped more than 1,000 children since 2013 and abductions continue unabbated.
Notably, the statement comes almost 4 years after 276 girls were kidnapped from a boarding school in a north-eastern town in Nigeria.
More recently, in February this year, it was reported that nearly 110 girls were missing following an attack by the group in another north-east Nigerian town.
What are the factors responsible for Boko Haram’s rise?
Rise of Boko Haram is partly due to the failure of the Nigerian government to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people in north-east Nigeria.
While the north-east has historically suffered discrimination, discovery of oil in the south and the subsequent progress there has aggravated the situation.
Notably, the north was under the rule of ‘Muslim Emeritus’ under British protectorate – much like our pre-independent princely states.
While the Muslim majority north held on to its conservatism, the Christian majority south was under direct British rule and embraced western education.
Hence, the south had progressed academically and managed better earning potential while the north had a large chunk of illiterate population.
These demographic factors hence provide for a ripe ground that supports Boko Haram’s ideological propaganda and recruitment strategy.
How does the future look?
Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin (all that are threatened directly by Boko Haram) had joined to form a Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
The force has existed since 1994, but its mandate was extended in 2012 to give it more teeth to take on multiple jihadist groups in the region.
These efforts have succeeded in trimming the outfit’s influence by restricting its activities and geographical reach greatly.
There are also reports of a new internal power struggle that is brewing within the organisation.
Yet, despite all these, the organisation’s potency is still very menacing and needs concerted action to neutralise it.
