Nigerians In Danger As Boko Haram Bring Friends Over To Play
The killings in Southern Kaduna, the kidnapping of innocent citizens all over the country. All these might soon be just the tip of the iceberg. More violence is promised. The United States of America has warned that the Al-Qaeda insurgent group is gaining sway in the restive North-Western part of Nigeria.
Dagvin Anderson, Commander of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, disclosed this during a briefing, saying the group was also expanding to other parts of West Africa.
He said, “We have engaged with Nigeria and continue to engage with them in intel sharing and in understanding what these violent extremists are doing. And that has been absolutely critical to their engagements in Borno State and into an emerging area of North-West Nigeria that we’re seeing al-Qaida starting to make some inroads in.
“So, this intelligence sharing is absolutely vital and we stay fully engaged with the Government of Nigeria to provide them an understanding of what these terrorists are doing, what Boko Haram is doing, what ISIS West Africa is doing, and how ISIS and al-Qaeda are looking to expand further south into the littoral areas.
Source: Sahara Reporters
After the deafening silence from the Nigerian military, the Coordinator of Defense media John Enenche spoke yesterday. He urged Nigerians to not panic because the Nigerian Army has it under control and because apparently, the report of ISIS invasion in Nigeria is ten years old.
Since 2010, we have had the Boko Haram prison break, Nigerian government launching an offensive on the terrorist group in (2013), the kidnapping of 276 Chibok girls (2014), Jos bombings killing over a hundred people (2014), American military support in 2015, Boko Haram killings and attacks on the Nigerian Military continue (2015-Now). Also, millions of Nigerians have died. The Nigerian military has been in combat with these terrorists. Still, the Boko Haram insurgency continues.
Image Source: Twitter.com
What Is ISIS (IS)?
ISIS is a militant and terrorist group that began in Iraq. Its goal is to Islamize whatever territory it steps foot in. They are notorious for targeting religious and ethnic minorities and are said to have control of about 10 million people and a handful of territories.
In 2015, the Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to IS (Islamic State) and urged all Muslims to do the same. Boko Haram which was previously aligned to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group seems to be following in the footsteps of this other terrorist organization.
“IS is distinguished by the brutality of its tactics, which include mass killings and abductions of members of religious and ethnic minorities, as well as the beheadings of soldiers and journalists.” BBC
Image Source: Twitter.com
What Is Al-Qaeda?
Al-Qaeda is a terrorist group which was founded by Osama Bin Laden to help Muslims fight the Afghan war that took place in the late 1980s. It seeks to eliminate foreign influence in the affairs of Muslim states. Just like Boko Haram, which believes that western education is dangerous, the Al-Qaeda group believes that western influence is a threat to the Islamic religion.
The Al-Qaeda terrorist group have been involved in attacks in various countries like the United States and Indonesia.
In South-South and South-East Nigeria, herdsmen continue to invade farmlands, kill, kidnap or maim citizens. The Nigerian military and Nigerian law enforcement agencies have been unable to curb these attacks. The youth of these regions have called on the government for help in fighting these criminals. They have also begged that a bill be passed that would allow citizens to possess guns for use in defending themselves against the criminal herdsmen.
As the people in Southern and Eastern Nigeria mourn the loss of their brothers and sisters in Southern Kaduna and other Northern States, they are also looking over their shoulders and asking themselves this question: How much danger are we in?
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