Kidnappings, Suicide Bombers, Armed Attacks, and Boko Haram

Richard Wang

Ms. Tompkins

World Lit Honors 2nd Period

March 13, 2015

Kidnappings, Suicide Bombers, Armed Attacks, and Boko Haram

        In Nigeria, groups of people are kidnapped and held for ransom, they are forced to flee their towns which become burned and ransacked, and numerous individuals are killed by suicide bombers and armed attacks. These are the workings of Boko Haram, an Islamist group in Northern Nigeria. The growth of this relatively new terrorist group raises some concerns to global authorities and raises questions: what are their origins and primary motives? What effect does this terrorist group have on the society of Nigeria?

Boko Haram has been founded on factors that date back to the era of the British colonization of Nigeria during the early 20th century (Chothia). British colonization created a geopolitical division between north and south that remains to this day. Femi Owolade, a leading author on issues in Africa, describes that on one side there were “...the so-called "civilized" -- by Western standards -- elite who were used by the British as agents of colonization; and on the other side, the commoners, who vehemently resisted Western influence in the region”, and it was a few of these commoners who had founded Boko Haram in order to cleanse the nation of western influence (Owolade). Boko Haram, when loosely translated, means “Western education is forbidden” (Chothia). Despite the terrorist groups origins as an anti-western group, the terrorists group’s actions reflect a far different motive. Boko Haram’s insurgency has been directed at the people and the government of Northern Nigeria, and it seeks “...to neutralize key traditional and political leaders of Northern Nigeria and to precipitate the disintegration of Nigeria”(We Must). Simply put, Boko Haram seeks to utterly destroy the Nigerian government.

Boko Haram, like many contemporary terrorist groups, resorts to suicide bombings, abductions, and armed attacks in order to achieve its goals. Boko Haram’s terrorist actions have profound effects on the population, causing countless numbers of casualties and even surpassing the scale of casualties in previous terrorist encounters with other terrorist groups. According to the Washington Post, between June 2013 and July 2014 alone there is an estimate of over 7,000 casualties related to conflicts with Boko Haram. In the time that this terrorist group has been active, Boko Haram has caused significantly more casualties than those caused by Al Qaeda and insurrections in Iraq (Allen, Lewis, and Matfess). Boko Haram has not been specific about the victims of its terrorism either. It “... has bombed facilities of the United Nations and those of all and sundry… and targeted and killed a large number of Muslims and Christians irrespective of the ethnicity of their victims”(We Must). In being unspecific about its targets, Boko Haram threatens the lives of everyone and anyone who does not support their cause. In doing so, Boko Haram creates a situation of lawlessness and corruption in Nigeria.

Boko Haram is a dangerous and frightening threat that has emerged from the geopolitical divide in Nigeria, and its activity only continues to increase and endanger people. With more insurgencies and lawlessness occurring in Nigeria, it is necessary to be informed of the terrorist group’s actions and understand their origins, motivations, and the repercussions that it has on the society of Nigeria.

Works Cited:

Allen, Nathaniel, Peter M. Lewis, and Hilary Matfess. "The Boko Haram Insurgency, by the

Numbers." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 6 Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

Chothia, Farouk. "Who Are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists?" BBC News. N.p., 21 Jan. 2015.        

Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Owolade, Femi. "Boko Haram: How a Militant Islamist Group Emerged in Nigeria." Gatestone

Institute. N.p., 27 Mar. 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.

"We Must Look Deeper for Answers to Boko Haram [Column]." Global Issues in Context. N.p.,

25 Mar. 2014. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.