Nigeria has had a long and
unfortunate history of communal conflicts and religious sect violence. For
example, in plateau state in Nigeria’s” middle belt”, there have been way
outbreaks of bloody violence between different communities since the return of
democracy in 1999. There have also been riots in the urban centres of Kaduna and
Kano and for several decades there have been severe conflict in the Tafawa
Balewa district of Bauchi. When viewed from outside, it can appear that these
conflicts boil down to religious differences, tensions between block of Muslims
and Christians inhabitants.
There is also a history of Muslim sects growing in the cities of northern
Nigeria on the basis of conflict of belief among different Muslim sects in Kano.
However, the sect was wiped out brutally. The group scattered and was fully
eliminated in a decade or so. Security services have also created a political
situation where such threats are not dealt with until violence is really
certain. Such is the weakness of security institutions; their only method of
dealing with any such threat is with violence. BOKO HARAM was created under
these grave circumstances.
Boko Haram means “western education is forbidden”. Dr Ahmad Murtaza of Islamic
Studies department University of Bayero, Kano has noted in his research of the
group that the name of the movement should not be understood literally the
native language “Hausa”, but rather as meaning “traversing the western system of
education is haram”. A more accurate translation of “Boko Haram” would be non
Muslim teaching is forbidden.
In 1955, the group was said to be operating under the name of “Shabab”, Muslim
youth organization Mallam Lawal as the leader, when Lawal left to continue
education. Then Muhammad Yusuf took over leadership of the group started
building political influence and popularity. The group was originally
established at Ibne Taymiiyah Mosque, which was named after “BOKO Haram”.
Spiritual leader Yusuf officially founded the group in 2002 in the city of
Maiduguri with the aim to establish Shariah government in Borno State under the
senator, Ali Modo Sherif. He established a religious complex included a mosque
and a school, many poor families from across Nigeria and neighboring countries
enrolled their children there. The center had political goals and soon it was
also working as a “recruiting ground for the future “JAHADIS” to fight the
corrupt and secular state.
The group conducted operations more or less peacefully for the first seven years
of its existence. That changed in 2009 when the Nigerian government launched as
investigation into the activities following reports that its members were arming
themselves .Prior to that, the government reportedly repeated warnings about the
increasing militants character of the organization, including that of a military
officer. After the crack down on it members, and its subsequent emergence, the
growing frequency and geographical range of attacks and religious leaders
conclude that the group has now expanded beyond the original religious
composition and has started including not only Islamic Militants but also
criminal groups. The group also forcibly converted non Muslims to Islam.
When the government came into action, several members of the group was arrested
in Bauchi dead by Nigerian security forces and police which led to death of 700
people. Boko Haram fighters reported used fuel ladder motorcycles and bow with
poison arrows to attack security forces. Their leader Muhammad Yusuf was killed
in attacks. The group carried out its first attack in BOMO in January, 2011. It
resulted in killing of four people. Shekau became the leader after Muhammad
Yusuf. Shekau has been described as bookish theologian and Ruthless killer.
Since shekau, s rise, the violence has only escalated in terms of both frequency
and intensity.
According to Human Rights Watch during the period from 2009 and beginning of
2012 “BOKO HARAM” was responsible for over 900 deaths. State of emergency was
declared in “BOMO” by the Nigerian president Good Luck Jonathan .Nigerian armed
forces shelling resulted 21 deaths in BOMO. Curfew was imposed in Maiduguri.
Nigeria air force has taken responsibility of kidnapping over 200 girls from a
school in 14th April. Girls were kidnapped from the boarding school in Chibok,
Borno state. There were Muslims students and Christians as well. Militants of
jihadist group Boko Haram overpowered their security guards and drove the girls
away in truck.
In the three weeks since, mostly in few hours, many as 50 girls managed to
escape. On May 12, 2014 eight more girls were kidnapped by suspected “BOKO HARAM”.
Global attention focused on the abduction when the leader of this group Abubakar
Sheaku released a video of 57 minutes. On that video girls were wearing hijabs.
On first 14 minutes, he takes a swipe at democracy, western education, efforts
for Muslims and Christians to live in peace and rails against non believers of
Islam. And after that he said that” I abducted a girl at a western education and
you are disturbed. I said western education should end”. Girls you should go and
get married. He said I will sell them in a market by Allah, claiming his group
was holding the girls as slaves. He also said in his video that I will marry off
a girl at the age of nine or twelve. One of the teenagers, who escaped from
there, said that kidnapping was too terrifying and now she is scared to go back
to school.
Here the point to ponder is that how this group is able to feed over 250 girls?
How Boko Haram is feeding its hundreds of fighters? Who is fueling over 50
vehicles Boko Haram use in conducting their attacks? Who is providing Boko Haram
with internet to upload videos on YouTube? If Boko Haram truly wants people to
join Islam, why are they killing the Muslims when there is no compulsion in
religion? Funding of Boko Haram are not certain but it is believed that funding
are provided through bank robbery and also by Islamic group in February 2012
recently arrested official revealed that, while the organization relied on
donations from members and its link with al- Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and
more funding from groups in Saudi Arabia and the U.K. Other sources include AL
Murtaza trust fund, and Islamic world society. In the past, Nigerian officials
were criticized that they are unable to trace out from where Boko Haram is being
funded.
US secretary of state John Kerry vowed that Washington would do”everything
possible” to help Nigeria deal with Boko Haram militants and bring children
home. Local authorities, Nigerian government must cut down all type of funding
from outside and within Nigeria. Ban Boko Haram and freeze their assets.
Nigerian security forces cannot destroy their recruiting center and controlled
areas. Government of Nigeria must control utter poverty and provide welfare
package for the public. African union must also play their vital role for
helping Nigeria to wipe out Boko Haram activist. World community, United States
and European countries must assist Nigeria to fully control their militant
group.