Examine the Boko Haram Saga in Nigeria and Provide a...

UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL STUDIES (GRADUATE STUDIES) EXAMINE THE BOKO HARAM SAGA IN NIGERIA AND PROVIDE A SOLUTION TO POLICY MAKERS. BY NAME: BABALOLA OLUBUKOLA COURSE TITLE: RELIGION AND MODERN CHANGE IN AFRICA COURSE CODE: RCS 502.2 According to the Wikipedia Boko Haram refers to People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophets Teachings and Jihad. Better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram, it is a Salafist jihadist terrorist organization based in the northeast of Nigeria. It is an Islamist movement which strongly opposes man-made laws. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001 or 2002, the organisation is a Muslim sect that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish a Sharia†¦show more content†¦The centre had ulterior political goals and soon it was also working as a recruiting ground for future jihadists to fight the state. The group includes members who come from neighbouring Chad and Niger and speak only Arabic. In 2004 the complex was relocated to Yusufs home state of Yobe in the village Kanamma near the Niger border. The group conducted its operations more or less peacefully during the first seven years of its existence. That changed in 2009 when the Nigerian government launched an investigation into the groups activities following reports that its members were arming themselves. Prior to that the government reportedly repeatedly ignored warnings about the increasingly militant character of the organisation, including that of a military officer. When the government came into action, several members of the group were arrested in Bauchi, sparking deadly clashes with Nigerian security forces which led to the deaths of an estimated 700 people. During the fighting with the security forces Boko Haram fighters reportedly used fuel-laden motorcycles and bows with poison arrows to attack a police station. The groups founder and then leader Mohammed Yusuf was also killed during this