BOKO HARAM

According to "Wikipedia" Boko Haram is Western or non-Islamic education is a sin") is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law in the northern states 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".

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".




Boko Haram opposes not only Western education, 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.

The Group was formed in 2002 in Maiduguri by Ustaz Mohammed Yussuf by establishing a religious complex that include 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 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.

The Past Activities of Boko Haram




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 a church 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. No real evidence has emerged or made public to support this claim.[citation needed]