Boko Haram
Encyclopedia
Boko Haram is a Nigeria
n Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria
. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command. The official name of the group is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad."
It became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in 2009. As of 2011 it is thought to be responsible for "increasingly violent and sophisticated attacks", with at least 327 people killed in 2011 through November 6 according to the Associated Press
.
Boko Haram use the bomb attacks in Nigeria as a strategy of tension
. Its aim is to create tension and division in Nigeria.
But residents of Maiduguri, where it was formed in 2002, dubbed it Boko Haram. Loosely translated from the local Hausa language
, this means Western education is forbidden. Residents gave it the name because of its strong opposition to Western education, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. The term "Boko Haram" comes from the Hausa word boko
meaning "Animist, western or otherwise non-Islamic education" and the Arabic word haram
figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden").
, but Western culture
and modern science as well. The group also forbids the wearing of shirts and pants and the act of voting in elections. In its view, the Nigerian state is run by non-believers.
In a 2009 BBC interview, Mohammed Yusuf, then the group's leader, stated that he would reject the fact that the earth is a sphere
if it was contrary to Islamic teachings, along with Darwinism
and the fact that rain
comes from water evaporated by the sun.
in 1903, the area's Muslims have tended to resist Western education. Some analysts view the group's emergence as an extension of the Maitatsine riots of the 1980s and subsequent ethnic and religious tensions in the 1990s.
. He established a religious complex that included a mosque and a school. Many poor families from across Nigeria and from neighboring countries enrolled their children in the school, which also served as a recruiting center for jihadis to fight the Nigerian state. In 2004 it moved to Kanamma, Yobe State
, where it set up a base called "Afghanistan", used to attack nearby police outposts, killing police officers. Yusuf is hostile to democracy and the secular education system, vowing that "this war that is yet to start would continue for long" if the political and educational system was not changed.
In Bauchi
the group was reported as refusing to mix with the local people. The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad
and speak only in Arabic.
In the state of Yobe, fighters reportedly "used fuel-laden motorcycles" and "bows with poison arrows" to attack a police station. On 30 July, allegations were made that Yusuf himself was killed by Nigerian security forces after being taken into custody.
In January 2010, the group struck again in the Nigerian state of Borno
, killing four people in Dala Alemderi ward in Maiduguri metropolis.
On September 7, 2010, Boko Haram freed over 700 inmates
from a prison in Bauchi State
.
In December 2010, Boko Haram were blamed for a market bombing
, following which 92 of its members were arrested by police.
On Friday January 28, 2011, the Borno state candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) for the April 2011 gubernatorial elections was assassinated, along with his brother, four police officers and a 12-year old boy. Boko Haram has been blamed for these killings, other commentators have noted that the assasination of the ANPP governorship candidate Mr. Modu Fannami Gubio was politically motivated. No evidence has been offered for Boko Haram's involvement.
On Tuesday February 8, 2011, Boko Haram gave conditions for peace. The radicals demanded that the Borno
State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff
, should step down from office with immediate effect and also allow members to reclaim their mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
On 9th May 2011 Boko Haram rejected an offer for amnesty made by the governor-elect of Borno state, Kashim Shettima
On March 29, police “thwarted a plot to bomb an [ANPP] election rally” in Maiduguri, Borno State (map). The threat was blamed on Boko Haram.
On April 1 (the day before the original date of Nigeria’s legislative elections), suspected Boko Haram members attacked a police station in Bauchi (map).
On April 9, a polling center in Maiduguri was bombed.
On April 15, the Maiduguri office of the Independent National Electoral Commission was bombed, and several people were shot in a separate incident on the same day. Authorities suspected Boko Haram.
On April 20, Boko Haram killed a Muslim cleric and ambushed several police officers in Maiduguri.
On April 22, Boko Haram freed 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in Yola, Adamawa State (map)
Boko Haram was blamed for a series of bombings
in northern Nigeria on May 29, 2011 that left 15 dead.
On June 17, 2011, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing attack
on the police force headquarters in Abuja that occurred the previous day. Officials believed that the attack was the first suicide bombing in Nigeria's history and that it specifically targeted Police Inspector-General Hafiz Ringim.
On June 26, 2011, the sect carried out a bombing attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri
, according to officials and witnesses. Militants on motorcycles threw explosives into the drinking spot, killing about 25 people.
On June 27, 2011, another bombing in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at least two girls and wounded three customs officials.
On July 03, 2011, a bombing in a beer garden in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at least twenty people.
On July 10, 2011, a bombing at the All Christian Fellowship Church in Suleja
, Niger State.
On July 11, 2011, the University of Maiduguri
closed its Institution down citing security concerns.
The prominent Muslim Cleric Liman Bana was shot dead by Boko Haram on August 12, 2011. He died after sustaining gunshot wounds while walking home from conducting prayers at the main mosque in Ngala
.
On August 26, the UN headquarters in Abuja was blown up by a suicide car bomber, leaving at least 21 dead and dozens more injured. A Boko Haram spokesman later claimed responsibility. Four men appeared in an Abuja magistrates' court charged with organising the bombing, and were remanded in custody to a federal high court hearing.
October 16, 2011: Police suspected that members of Boko Haram shot and killed politician Modu Bintube outside of his home in Maiduguri.
October 22, 2011: Spokesman Abu Qaqa indicated that the militant group had slain Alhaji Zakariya Isa, a Nigerian Television Authority
journalist, claiming that he was a government informant.
November 5, 2011: A series of coordinated attacks
in Borno and Yobe states, primarily around Damaturu
, killed at least 67 people, leaving a new police headquarters in ruins, and government offices burned. A Boko Haram spokesman told The Daily Trust newspaper that it was responsible for the attacks and promised more.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command. The official name of the group is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad."
It became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in 2009. As of 2011 it is thought to be responsible for "increasingly violent and sophisticated attacks", with at least 327 people killed in 2011 through November 6 according to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
Boko Haram use the bomb attacks in Nigeria as a strategy of tension
Strategy of tension
The strategy of tension is a theory that describes how to divide, manipulate, and control public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, and false flag terrorist actions....
. Its aim is to create tension and division in Nigeria.
Etymology
The group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad".But residents of Maiduguri, where it was formed in 2002, dubbed it Boko Haram. Loosely translated from the local Hausa language
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
, this means Western education is forbidden. Residents gave it the name because of its strong opposition to Western education, which it sees as corrupting Muslims. The term "Boko Haram" comes from the Hausa word boko
Boko (alphabet)
Boko is a Latin alphabet devised by Europeans in the early 19th century for the Hausa language. It was developed and introduced in the early 20th century by the British and French colonial authorities and used as the official script of the Hausa language. It was made the official alphabet in 1930...
meaning "Animist, western or otherwise non-Islamic education" and the Arabic word haram
Haraam
Haraam is an Arabic term meaning "forbidden", or "sacred". In Islam it is used to refer to anything that is prohibited by the word of Allah in the Qur'an or the Hadith Qudsi. Haraam is the highest status of prohibition given to anything that would result in sin when a Muslim commits it...
figuratively meaning "sin" (literally, "forbidden").
Ideology
Boko Haram opposes not only Western educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, but Western culture
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
and modern science as well. The group also forbids the wearing of shirts and pants and the act of voting in elections. In its view, the Nigerian state is run by non-believers.
In a 2009 BBC interview, Mohammed Yusuf, then the group's leader, stated that he would reject the fact that the earth is a sphere
Spherical Earth
The concept of a spherical Earth dates back to ancient Greek philosophy from around the 6th century BC, but remained a matter of philosophical speculation until the 3rd century BC when Hellenistic astronomy established the spherical shape of the earth as a physical given...
if it was contrary to Islamic teachings, along with Darwinism
Darwinism
Darwinism is a set of movements and concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or of evolution, including some ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin....
and the fact that rain
Rain
Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
comes from water evaporated by the sun.
Background
Since the fall of the Sokoto Caliphate to the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1903, the area's Muslims have tended to resist Western education. Some analysts view the group's emergence as an extension of the Maitatsine riots of the 1980s and subsequent ethnic and religious tensions in the 1990s.
Origin
Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf formed Boko Haram in 2002 in MaiduguriMaiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
. He established a religious complex that included a mosque and a school. Many poor families from across Nigeria and from neighboring countries enrolled their children in the school, which also served as a recruiting center for jihadis to fight the Nigerian state. In 2004 it moved to Kanamma, Yobe State
Yobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
, where it set up a base called "Afghanistan", used to attack nearby police outposts, killing police officers. Yusuf is hostile to democracy and the secular education system, vowing that "this war that is yet to start would continue for long" if the political and educational system was not changed.
In Bauchi
Bauchi
Bauchi is a city in northeast Nigeria, the capital of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. The city has a population of 316,173...
the group was reported as refusing to mix with the local people. The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
and speak only in Arabic.
Clash with the state
In July 2009 the Nigerian police started investigating the group, following reports that the group was arming itself. Several leaders were arrested in Bauchi, sparking deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated 700 people.Alleged attacks
Prior to the clashes, many Muslim leaders and at least one military official had warned the authorities about Boko Haram. Those warnings were reportedly ignored.In the state of Yobe, fighters reportedly "used fuel-laden motorcycles" and "bows with poison arrows" to attack a police station. On 30 July, allegations were made that Yusuf himself was killed by Nigerian security forces after being taken into custody.
In January 2010, the group struck again in the Nigerian state of Borno
Borno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
, killing four people in Dala Alemderi ward in Maiduguri metropolis.
On September 7, 2010, Boko Haram freed over 700 inmates
Bauchi prison break
The Bauchi prison break was an attack on Bauchi prison in the northern Nigerian city of Bauchi by 50 gunmen. The attack occurred on . The gunmen were suspected to be members of the militant Islamist sect, Boko Haram. All 721 prisoners escaped the prison....
from a prison in Bauchi State
Bauchi State
Bauchi State is a State in northern Nigeria. Its capital is the city of Bauchi. The state was formed in 1976 when the former North-Eastern State was broken up...
.
In December 2010, Boko Haram were blamed for a market bombing
December 2010 Abuja attack
The December 2010 Abuja attack was a bomb attack on a barracks on the outskirts of Abuja, Nigeria, on December 31, 2010. Four people were killed, including a pregnant woman, and 26 were injured; according to defense minister Adetokunbo Kayode, all of the dead were civilians, as were most of the...
, following which 92 of its members were arrested by police.
On Friday January 28, 2011, the Borno state candidate of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) for the April 2011 gubernatorial elections was assassinated, along with his brother, four police officers and a 12-year old boy. Boko Haram has been blamed for these killings, other commentators have noted that the assasination of the ANPP governorship candidate Mr. Modu Fannami Gubio was politically motivated. No evidence has been offered for Boko Haram's involvement.
On Tuesday February 8, 2011, Boko Haram gave conditions for peace. The radicals demanded that the Borno
Borno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
State Governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff
Ali Modu Sheriff
Ali Modu Sheriff was elected governor of Borno State in Nigeria in April 2003. He is a member of the All Nigeria People's Party .Ali Sheriff was the first governor in Borno state to win the seat two consecutive times.-Background:...
, should step down from office with immediate effect and also allow members to reclaim their mosque in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
On 9th May 2011 Boko Haram rejected an offer for amnesty made by the governor-elect of Borno state, Kashim Shettima
Kashim Shettima
Kashim Shettima is a Nigerian agricultural economist who was elected Governor of Borno State, Nigeria in the 26 April 2011 national elections, running on the All Nigeria People's Party platform.-Birth and education:...
On March 29, police “thwarted a plot to bomb an [ANPP] election rally” in Maiduguri, Borno State (map). The threat was blamed on Boko Haram.
On April 1 (the day before the original date of Nigeria’s legislative elections), suspected Boko Haram members attacked a police station in Bauchi (map).
On April 9, a polling center in Maiduguri was bombed.
On April 15, the Maiduguri office of the Independent National Electoral Commission was bombed, and several people were shot in a separate incident on the same day. Authorities suspected Boko Haram.
On April 20, Boko Haram killed a Muslim cleric and ambushed several police officers in Maiduguri.
On April 22, Boko Haram freed 14 prisoners during a jailbreak in Yola, Adamawa State (map)
Boko Haram was blamed for a series of bombings
May 2011 northern Nigeria bombings
The May 2011 northern Nigeria bombings happened in several towns in northern Nigeria on 29 May 2011. The blasts happened just a few hours after Goodluck Jonathan was sworn in as Nigeria's president. Boko Haram was suspected in the attacks....
in northern Nigeria on May 29, 2011 that left 15 dead.
On June 17, 2011, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing attack
2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing
The 2011 Abuja police headquarters bombing was believed to be the first suicide bombing in Nigeria's history. The attack happened on June 16, 2011, when a suicide bomber drove a car bomb onto the premises of the Louis Edet House in Abuja, the headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force...
on the police force headquarters in Abuja that occurred the previous day. Officials believed that the attack was the first suicide bombing in Nigeria's history and that it specifically targeted Police Inspector-General Hafiz Ringim.
On June 26, 2011, the sect carried out a bombing attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
, according to officials and witnesses. Militants on motorcycles threw explosives into the drinking spot, killing about 25 people.
On June 27, 2011, another bombing in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at least two girls and wounded three customs officials.
On July 03, 2011, a bombing in a beer garden in Maiduguri attributed to the group killed at least twenty people.
On July 10, 2011, a bombing at the All Christian Fellowship Church in Suleja
Suleja
Suleja is a city in Niger State, Nigeria, pop. local government area, 216,578,just north of Abuja, capital of the Suleja Emirate. It is sometimes confused with the nearby city of Abuja, due to its proximity, and the fact that it was originally called Abuja before the Nigerian government adopted...
, Niger State.
On July 11, 2011, the University of Maiduguri
University of Maiduguri
The University of Maiduguri is located in Maiduguri, a city in Borno State in northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government in 1975, with the intention of its becoming one of the country's principal higher-education institutions...
closed its Institution down citing security concerns.
The prominent Muslim Cleric Liman Bana was shot dead by Boko Haram on August 12, 2011. He died after sustaining gunshot wounds while walking home from conducting prayers at the main mosque in Ngala
Ngala
Ngala is a local government area of Borno State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Gamboru Ngala.It has an area of 1,465 km² and a population of 237,071 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 611.- Geology :...
.
On August 26, the UN headquarters in Abuja was blown up by a suicide car bomber, leaving at least 21 dead and dozens more injured. A Boko Haram spokesman later claimed responsibility. Four men appeared in an Abuja magistrates' court charged with organising the bombing, and were remanded in custody to a federal high court hearing.
October 16, 2011: Police suspected that members of Boko Haram shot and killed politician Modu Bintube outside of his home in Maiduguri.
October 22, 2011: Spokesman Abu Qaqa indicated that the militant group had slain Alhaji Zakariya Isa, a Nigerian Television Authority
Nigerian Television Authority
The Nigerian Television Authority - also known as NTA - was inaugurated in 1977 and is the government-owned body in charge of television broadcasting in the country. The NTA claims to run the biggest television network in Africa with stations in several parts of Nigeria...
journalist, claiming that he was a government informant.
November 5, 2011: A series of coordinated attacks
2011 Damaturu attacks
The 2011 Damaturu attacks were a series of coordinated assaults in the northern Nigerian city on 4 November 2011 that killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more...
in Borno and Yobe states, primarily around Damaturu
Damaturu
Damaturu is a Local Government Area in Yobe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Damaturu, the State capital.The postal code of the area is 620....
, killed at least 67 people, leaving a new police headquarters in ruins, and government offices burned. A Boko Haram spokesman told The Daily Trust newspaper that it was responsible for the attacks and promised more.
See also
- Sharia in NigeriaSharia in NigeriaIn Nigeria, Sharia has been instituted as a main body of civil and criminal law in 9 Muslim-majority and in some parts of 3 Muslim-plurality states since 1999, when then-Zamfara State governor Ahmad Rufai Sani began the push for the institution of Sharia at the state level of government.-States:As...
- Niger Delta Conflicts
- Nigerian Sharia conflict
- Poverty in NigeriaPoverty in NigeriaPoverty in Nigeria remains significant despite high economic growth. Nigeria has one of the world's highest economic growth rates , a well-developed economy, and plenty of natural resources such as oil. However, it retains a high level of poverty, with 63% living on below $1 daily, implying a...
External links
- More information on Boko Haram Boko Haram
- News related to Boko Haram
- Analysis of Boko Haram on IRIN News
- Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria arguing that Boko Haram is not a formal terrorist group
- Books versus bullets in north-east Nigeria RFI English