Title
Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria: Causes, Origin and Effects
Dedication
I dedicate this to my Father, Mr Gabriel Chukwuemeka Eze
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my gratitude to my father who played a major role in getting this research done. My gratitude also goes to my assessors for their diligent reviews and useful comments which have added to the quality of this mini thesis. My gratitude also goes to my friends around the world for standing by me. I thank Dr Anyadike Dominic O. for approving this topic!
Preface
We are living in a world where terrorism is not only the problem of the developed and highly developed countries, but also a menace to the developing and underdeveloped. Terrorism is a bane of African countries, it is a new experience which she is battling to be accustomed to.
This research work traces the history of terrorism in Nigeria, specifically the terror of the Islamic sect- Boko Haram. The first chapter paints a miniature image of what Nigeria is, her history, government and challenges. The chapter also goes on to explain the nature of Boko Haram. The next chapter take a cue by examining the history of the sect, which incidentally was from Maiduguri, the history of their insurgencies and their aims and objectives. The penultimate chapter examines the causes of their actions, the socio-economic and religious effects on the peoples and government of Nigeria. The chapter goes further to proffer solutions to the insurgencies of this terrorist group.
Adopting the solutions stated in this work would go a long way at eradicating the or at least drastically reducing the actions of this group, to enforce national development.
Table of Contents
Title page i
Dedication ii
Acknowledgement iii
Preface iv
Table of contents v
Chapter One
1.0Introduction............................................................................................
1.1 Definition of Terms................................................................................
1.1.1 The country Nigeria............................................................................
1.1.2 Boko Haram.......................................................................................
Chapter Two
2.1 Brief History of Boko Haram................................................................
2.2 Boko Haram and terrorism....................................................................
2.3 Aims and objectives of Boko Haram....................................................
Chapter Three
3.1 Boko Haram insurgents: The Causes....................................................
3.2The effects of Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.................................
3.3 The way forward for Boko Haram insurgencies in Nigeria.................
Chapter Four
4.1 Summary..............................................................................................
4.2 Conclusion...........................................................................................
Bibliography
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CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction
The present security challenge caused by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria is not only about the barbarity and violent cruelty of its terror operations, and its declared mission to force Islamic law on the country, but also about the confusion over the precise ground(s) for the bloodshed.
One of the consequences has been the evolving multiple theories that attempt to describe and explain the motive of the Islamic group. Many theories have surfaced to explain the problem, largely orbiting around socio-economic, political, and religious themes.
Though none of these viewpoints may wholly explain the problem, studies that ponder on intelligence gathering failure, poor and bad criminal justice system, political frameworks warrant particular consideration, particularly relative to national security, the country’s image, global war on terrorism and importantly the 2015 elections.
This research work is meant to expound the cause of Boko Haram insurgents, its origin and the effect of their menace on the socio-economic, political and religious wellbeing of the country Nigeria.
1.1. Definition of terms
1.1.1 The country Nigeria
Nigeria is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Nigeria achieved independence in 1960 from the British, but plunged into civil war in 1967, which lasted 30 months.
The political history of the Nigerian nation can be traced from the actions and activities of the British colonialists, at the beginning of the 20th century. The amalgamation of formally differently administered territories of southern and northern protectorates and colonies in 1914 by Lord Lugard officially sealed the birth of Nigerian nation. But it took about 33 years later (in 1945), for Nigeria to become a political entity under one administrative unit
It has since alternated between democratically-elected civilian governments and military dictatorships, with its 2011 presidential elections being viewed as the first to be conducted reasonably freely and fairly, which ushered President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan into power.
Nigeria is often referred to as the "Giant of Africa", due to its large -population and economic strength. With approximately 174 million inhabitants, Nigeria has the largest population more than any country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. The country is inhabited by more than 500 ethnic groups, of which the three largest are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba. Regarding religion, Nigeria is roughly divided in half between Christians, who live predominantly in the southern and central parts of the country, and Muslims, concentrated mostly in the northern and south western regions. A minority of the population practice religions indigenous to Nigeria, such as those native to Igbo and Yoruba peoples.
1.1.2 Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist militant group made up of dispersed cells and factions in the northeast part of the country. It started with a group of young Islamic radicals in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, more than ten years ago. The group has officially adopted the Arabic name "جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد" (Jamā'at ahl as-sunnah li-d-da'wa wa-l-jihād), which if translated means "people committed to the propagation of the prophet’s teachings and jihad ".
The term "Boko Harām" comes from the Hausa word boko, which is originally derived from an Hausa word with meanings such as "fraud" and "in authenticity", and the Arabic word harām figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden"). Translated, the name could mean "Western education is sinful", which would show its strong opposition to anything relating to Western civilization, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. Residents who speak the Hausa language are also unsure what it actually means.
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Brief history of Boko Haram
In 1995, the group was said to be functioning under the name Shabaab, Muslim Youth Organization with Mallam Lawal as the leader. When Lawal left to further his education, Mohammed Yusuf took over leadership of the group. Yusuf’s leadership allegedly opened the group to political influence and popularity. The group was originally established at Ibn Taymiyyah mosque, which was named after Boko Harām's spiritual head.
Yusuf officially founded the group in 2002 in the city of Maiduguri with the aim of establishing a Shari'a government in Borno State under then-Senator Ali Modu Sheriff. He established a religious complex that included a mosque and a school where many impecunious families from across Nigeria and from neighbouring countries enrolled their progenies. For the first seven years of its existence (2002-2009), Boko Haram's operations were relatively peaceful, and they typically only criticized northern Muslims for partaking in what the group considered to be an illegitimate, non-Islamic state.
The centre had underlying political goals and soon it was also working as a recruiting ground for future jihadis to attack the state. The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad and Niger and speak only Arabic. Later in 2004, the complex was relocated to Yusuf's home state of Yobe in the village Kanamma near the Niger border.
After the killing of Mohammed Yusuf, the group carried out its first attack in Borno in January 2011. It resulted in the killing of four people. Abubakar Shekau, a former deputy to Yusuf, took control of the group after Yusuf's death in 2009. Shekau has been described as "an intensely private bookish theologian and ruthless killer, and rules a fractured organization". Since Shekau's rise, the violence has escalated in terms of both frequency and intensity. The US has placed $6m reward for any information that could lead to his arrest.
Bad governance, corruption, persistent economic hardship, and rising inequality have fostered the growth of radical extremist groups. A Nigerian bishop characterized Boko Haram as "a resistance movement against misrule rather than a purely Islamic group."
2.2 Boko Haram and Terrorism
Firstly, I need to let you know the definition of terrorism. Terrorism is defined by Encarta dictionary as Violence or the threat of violence, especially bombing, kidnapping, and assassination, carried out for political purposes.
In the United Kingdom, legislation titled Terrorist Act 2000 states that terrorism is “the use or threat of action . . . designed to influence the government or to intimidate the public or a section of the public . . . for the purpose of advancing a political, religious or ideological cause.” The legal system and code of law of the United Kingdom has influenced those of the United States, Canada, and Israel.
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 6th edition views it as the use of violent action in order to achieve political aims or to force government to act. Encarta encyclopaedia defines terrorism as the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear for bringing about political change. According to an Awake writer, terrorism involves (1) acts aimed at non-combatants and (2) the use of violence for dramatic purpose, namely to instil fear (Awake! June, 2011).
I see terrorism as use of violence or threats of violence to influence and destabilize government, gain public attention and to cause dread, fear and panic to the members of the public.
The definition above highlights the short term and long term goals of terrorism. The short term goals are to damage national economy, destabilize the government, gain publicity and media control (they enjoy this a lot). The long term goal of terrorism is the distribution of power.
It is pertinent to note that there are different types of terrorism, they are:
- Nationalistic terrorism
- Religious terrorism
- State sponsored terrorism
- Left wing terrorism
- Right wing terrorism
- Anarchist terrorism (they aim at destabilizing the government)
Now let’s relate this to our case study which is Boko Haram, as I go further to critically examine the aims and goals of this terrorist sect.
2.3. Aims and objectives of Boko Haram
According to a recent USIP and CLEEN Foundation study, the three major reasons young men join Boko Haram are unemployment and poverty, manipulation by extremist religious leaders, and a lack of awareness of the authentic teachings of Islam.
The United States security expert, Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, has described the Boko Haram sect as the world’s deadliest terror group at a public lecture at Port-Harcourt. They kill at least 7 persons per attack. Nigeria’s Ambassador to the US Professor Adebowale Adefuye stated, “classifying Boko Haram as a FTO would only advance Boko Haram’s aspirations. Recognition by a sovereign the size and stature of the US would give them the title they seek and status they desire. It would legitimize their struggle and give them a fundraising platform otherwise unattainable from their current perch in northern Nigeria.” This emphasises the short term goal of terrorism which is to gain publicity.
Boko Haram aims to make northern Nigeria an Islamic state. The sect seeks to establish a "pure" Islamic state ruled by sharia, putting an end to what it considers to be Westernization. Although it has relationship with other African terrorist groups, it has few jihadist ambitions beyond Nigeria. Western interests are rarely targets of its attacks.
The group has also forcibly converted non-Muslims to Islam. This summarily means that their actions are majorly religiously inclined which is why I would term their terrorist actions as religious terrorism.
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 Boko Haram insurgents: The Causes
Anyone who has ever heard of the havoc wreaked on the government and people of Nigeria would easily to ask “why”. We have seen the major aims which they have in mind in the previous chapter. Now let’s see what made them adopt those aims, and we will briefly look at the source of their motivation.
In 2009, there was a clash between Boko Haram and Nigerian security forces. Violence across several states in northeast Nigeria left over 1,000 dead, with around 700 killed in the city of Maiduguri alone, according to one military official.
A government investigation later found that, while long-standing tensions existed between Boko Haram and the Nigerian Security forces, the immediate cause of the violence stemmed from an incident in which a group of the sect's members were halted by police in the city of Maiduguri as they were on the way to the cemetery to bury a comrade. The officers, part of a special operation whose objective is stamping out violence and rampant crime in Borno State, demanded that the young men comply with a law requiring motorcycle passengers to wear crash helmets. They were unwilling to obey and, in the confrontation that followed, several were shot and wounded by the police.
After the short lived uprising, which was brutally put down by the Nigerian military, having too many casualties Boko Haram went quiet, only to re-emerge with drive-by shootings, targeting individuals. Its approach soon grew sophisticated with the use of bombs; including suicide bombing. Its targets were security forces, governmental institutions, local community leaders, but widened to include Christians and Nigerians of southern origin living in the north. At the time, it was the worst violence the country had experienced since November 2008.
From another perspective, Islam online suggests that politics, not religion, was the cause of the terrorist activities of this sect. In the same vein, Chris Kwaja, a Nigerian university lecturer and researcher, asserts that “religious dimensions of the conflict have been misconstrued as the primary driver of violence when, in fact, disenfranchisement and inequality are the root causes”. Nigeria, he points out, has laws granting regional political leaders the power to qualify people as original inhabitants known as indigenes, or not. It determines whether citizens can partake in politics, become a land owner, get a job, or go to school. The system is abused widely to ensure political support and to exclude others. Economic profits are unequally shared among the regions. They see a need to balance the economic gap between the north (Muslims) and the south (Christians). Muslims have been denied indigene-ship certificates disproportionately often. In reference to the types of terrorism stated in the previous chapter, politics is not singularly the cause of the violence. Its cause has basically some religious explanation with a political undertone. For instance some people, including a Christian pastor George Orjih, were reportedly murdered specifically because they refused to convert to Islam.
Boko Haram’s violence is motivated by funding from governmental officials. A spokesman of Boko Harām claimed that Kano state governor Ibrahim Shekarau and Bauchi state governor Isa Yuguda had paid them monthly. During May 2014, Nigerian soldiers shot at the vehicle of their divisional commander whom they suspected of working secretly with Boko Harām and it was reported that nine Nigerian generals suspected for sale of weapons to Boko Harām were being investigated. Other sources of their funds are extortions from local government, kidnapping and ransoms, bank robberies and other minor sources.
According to a security source, “Boko Haram has been able to smuggle arms into Nigeria through the use of various methods such as the use of specially crafted skin or thatched bags attached to camels, donkeys and cows where arms are concealed and moved across the borders with the help of nomadic pastoralists or herders. However, they are at times intercepted by the security services. Boko Haram is said to primarily use human couriers to move cash around inside Nigeria, rather than banking transactions. Constant success of ``11these transactions and funding makes their operations smooth and easy.
3.2 The Effects of Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria
Unlike other foreign countries like the US, Nigeria had never felt the sharp prong of terrorism until the first public attack on her. She has battled continuously to end the insurgents. Let us examine the socio-economic, political and religious effects of Boko Haram insurgents.
The group exerts influence in the northeastern Nigerian states of Borno, Adamawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Yobe and Kano. Each time they strike, they leave behind scores of deaths that make the mind nervous. Men, women and children have fallen victims. Blood has been utterly spilled. Deaths and more deaths have become recurrent; carnages, a daily sight on our streets.
But the government and the security agencies have not also been keeping quiet. They are involved in this, they are fighting.
The Department of the State Service, DSS, is busy with intelligence gathering. The Police is at work too. Fortunes had equally been expended in the midst of a state of emergency which had been extended by six months in the states considered to be hot zones. But unfortunately, the fire still rages.
Economic effect exerted by the sect are seen for instance in Maiduguri, Borno State, where the sect originated, the frequent bombings and clashes between Boko Haram and security agents have weighed down seriously on commercial and businesses activities in the city as many business have reportedly crumbled while many people have fled the state. The decline in economic fortunes of Borno state started with the ban on the use of motorcycles in the state and other volatile council areas where over 80,000 people lost their means of livelihood.
The Maiduguri Monday Market said to be the biggest market in the city is reported to have been seriously affected as hundreds of shop owners, especially Southerners are said to have closed their businesses and left the troubled city. About half of the 10, 000 shops and stalls in the market were said to have been abandoned by traders who have fled the city. A lot of Igbo are said be relocating from the city to Abuja and the East for a more secured business environment. Many residents of Maiduguri and some other northern cities live in perpetual fear.
Banks and their customers are also said to be operating under difficult situation and have reduced their business hours to guard against being attacked by members of the sect.
The masses are disappointed at the Government at the federal, state, and local governments who they blame because they have the power, authority and responsibility and have failed to use them to bring about good governance. They allow disabling levels of corruption, stealing, and criminal waste of public resources. The activities of the sect have been a distraction to the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan. He is currently passing through the heat of the criticisms emanating from the publicity of the abduction of over 200 Chibok secondary school girls. Many Nigerians at home and in Diaspora have held massive campaign tagged “bring back our girls”
The activities of this group have also caused fear on the people of other religions especially the Christian folks. Churches have continuously been the target of the sect whose aim as have been afore mentioned is to Islamize Nigeria.
3.3 The way forward for Boko Haram insurgencies in Nigeria
There are different solutions proffered by experts to the violence inflicted by Boko Haram on the people and government of Nigeria especially after military actions failed to solve the problem. It would interest you to know that terrorism has no technological solutions. Technology actually heighten terrorism . Since no state can help another to develop, Nigeria should not expect foreign solution, she can only find the solution herself.
According to a News24Nigeria reporter, Peregrino Brimah, “Boko Haram is a sophisticated terrorist network with tentacles. They are determined, desperate and dangerous. This threat is more complex than the Nigerian security department with is political challenges, and constraints and Abuja as can quell. It has been four years of worsening terror.” He then suggests that “Nigeria needs a new and intelligent, sophisticated approach that involves a superior force of numerous civilian soldiers, equipped with sophisticated gadgets, to defeat Boko Haram. We need the collective energy and brains of the people. We need a civilian army to combat this terror”. But if untrained civilians are organized and equipped with arms, what will be the fate of the country since even the military can’t be trusted with arms. Comparing this with the United State’s Blackwater , it should be noted that the Nigerian citizens don’t have the same ideology with the Americans, at least possession of arms are allowed for US citizens unlike Nigerian citizens. A civilian group especially the organized ones have the propensity to destabilize the government at will. It could also increase indiscriminate use of arms.
Experts believe that the group's influence will only diminish when the Nigerian government begins to reduce the poverty in the North and builds an education system supported by the locals.
There are some general solution to the issue of terrorism which can also be applicable in the Nigerian context. They are
- The control of the availability of guns and weapons
- When people are aroused, it leads to aggression. The government need to pacify situations in the affected places. Peace drives away chaos and violence
- War, as initially mentioned should be the last option to the solution of terrorism. War begets war, aggression begets aggression, so, using violent means to address terrorism only stops it for a while (as seen in the military raids on Boko Haram).
- Preventive measures should be taken by states against terrorist attacks.
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Summary
Corruption, political instability and economic challenges are the some of the familiar problems faced by Nigerians until the event of Boko Haram terrorism which has since then tortured the government and peoples of Nigerians alike. The group acts on the basis of economic, political and religious grounds. It is believed that the insurgencies are caused by the inequality in the economic distribution in the country and the desire to Islamize Nigeria.
Their activities also have some impact in the lives of the people. It has distracted the governmental developmental efforts. It has also crippled the economy of the north especially in Borno, the birth place of the sect where the fear of attacks has halted businesses and trade. It has indeed caused untold hardship on Nigerians.
Finally, there also are some available solutions that could go a long way at halting the activities of this group, some of which are, the control of weapon importation, education, and establishing peace.
4.2 Conclusion
I suggest that the President of Nigeria should channel the nation’s resources to the fight against the terror inflicted by this group. I believe that no nation state can develop amidst rising incidents of terrorism.
I want to conclude by saying that the root cause of terrorism is in the mind. When the psychology of the people is wrong, we will be sure that the level of development will reflect these inadequacies. We will have to correct that mindset to help in human development.
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References
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Heidi Schultz (2014). Nigeria’s Boko Haram, who are they and what do they want. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140507-boko-haram-nigeria-borno-state-maiduguri-mohammed-yusuf-abubukar-shekau-goodluck-jonathan-world/. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
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