Boko Haram: Motivations, Aims, and Government Response

Contemporary historical issues
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Introduction
Over the years, the emergence of Boko Haram has led to a great threat in one of Africa's most
popular country, Nigeria. This particular insurgency being led by an Islamist group has
contributed thousands of death in the current years. The violence has also increased and got into
other bordering countries like Lake Chad basin. Boko haram brutal campaigns have involved
carrying out attacks on several schools, burning villages, various girls’ abductions, increased
religious difference tensions, political corruption and widening of the economic gap in Nigeria.
The groups flame also include the countries police and high counter-terrorism techniques.
Book Haram is typically an Islamist group which is mainly located in the northeast parts of
Nigeria. According to research, it was mainly founded by Mohamed Yusuf, a very key Islamist
cleric. It was started in a region called Maiduguri in the year 2012. The initial objective of the
group was to ensure the implementation of the existing Islamic state with critical sharia criminal
courts.
It has thousands of members who join voluntarily and forced recruitment of youths. Most
members are from eastern Nigeria and other neighboring regions hence continuing to wreak
havoc and incurring tremendous losses across the entire nation. It is evident that this particular
group mostly exploits poor economic and social condition existing in various parts of Nigeria in
order to attract new members to join. Some are offered diverse economic prospects and others
join to avoid persecution by the militia groups. Other members join as a result of coercion from
pressure inserted by family members. Others are kidnapped and go forced captivity in order to
serve the militia.various captives like women and children are literally forced to carry out
surprise attacks like act as suicide bombers.it acquires its funding through the use of criminal

activities like arms dealing, human trafficking, extortion, bank robberies, cash looting, fraud,
ransom cash from kidnappings, acquire funds and weapons from al-Qaida groups.
What is the motivation behind the group?
Boko Haram group mainly aims to make northern Nigeria a huge Islamic state. Even though it
comprises of several toes to other African terrorist groups, it has a minimal number of jihadist
motivations beyond Nigeria. Thus western interests are fewer targets of its attacks.
Over the years, its claim that bad governance,corruption, increased inequality, and increased
economic disparities and hardships have been their aim which has fostered the rampant
development of various radical extremist groups in as part of their motivations.1
Also, various analyst argues that Boko Haram motivation to increase its insurgency was based on
the impact of deep religious and ethnic cleavages which had troubled the country for a given
period of time.
It has been seen as rather a resistance movement against misrule. According to various studies,
some of the reasons motivating men to serve in book haram are increased unemployment rates,
poverty, being manipulated by various extremist religious powers, minimal awareness of the key
teachings of the Islamic religion. 2They are mostly motivated to target various institutions of the
Nigerian government, police stations, security men and also military barracks.
The nation is also faced by religious difference having a clear split between Muslim dominated
regions and Christian dominated parts. 3They are motivated by the inclusion of an informal
1 Bowie, Neil G., and Alex P. Schmid. Databases on terrorism. Routledge Handbooks Online, 2011.
2 Sullivan, Mark P. Latin America: terrorism issues. DIANE Publishing, 2011.
3 Niksch, Larry. North Korea: Terrorism List Removal?. DIANE Publishing, 2010.

power rotation agreement for president. However, the political friction existing contributes
immensely to the continuing unrest and instability.
The aims have however changed rapidly like targeting churches, schools, mosques and bus
terminuses. 4The group thus attacks both Christian and Muslims in their rampant attacks.
Oil mining has played a huge responsibility in the driving of economic inequality across the
nation. 5Various elite groups have long held on the available oil revenues whereas corrupt
government official s and ministers have had a case of misappropriation and embezzlements of
funds from the mining sector hence motivating book haram to increase their operations.
According to analysts, the insurgency of book haram group indicates maturation of a log tern
extremist impulse that runs in the social reality of Nigerian regions.it is seen as an after effect of
years of failed governance and lite delinquency which have increased to social chaos.
Since independence, Nigeria has been faced by rampant political instability and high poverty
levels since lives have been lost from a blockade induced famine.
Are the aims of the group still the same thirteen years later?
Boko haram interest has evolved into two factions after the death of its leader Yusuf.Currently,
Abubakar shekau leads one specific faction which is seen to be aimed at fighting the Nigerian
4 LaFree, G., 2010. The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) Accomplishments and
Challenges. Perspectives on Terrorism, 4(1), pp.24-46.
5 Kis-Katos, Krisztina, Helge Liebert, and Günther G. Schulze. "On the origin of domestic and international
terrorism." European Journal of Political Economy 27 (2011): S17-S36.