ABUJA —
Nigerian police report 60 people were killed early Wednesday when insurgents attacked a town in northern Nigeria. Witnesses blamed militant group Boko Haram, which has issued a new threat to bomb oil refineries and kill prominent Muslim clerics.
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
The fishing town of Bama has been attacked four times in the past two years. Scores of people have been killed and hundreds of houses have been burned to the ground.
As reports filtered in Wednesday that gunmen in Bama were once again shooting people and setting homes on fire, Boko Haram released a video statement saying it plans to widen its reach, to attack oil refineries in the south and continue its assault on Muslim clerics that don’t agree with its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
Analysts say Boko Haram’s continued threats and attacks are a sign that the Nigerian government has failed to stop the more than four-year-old insurgency, despite nine months of emergency rule in three northeastern states.
Femi Odekunle, a professor of criminology at the University of Abuja, says,
“The government must double its efforts with more men and more resources to contain them and to prevent them from spreading to other parts of the country.”
In the video statement, the self-proclaimed leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, also claimed responsibility for killing Sheik Adam Albani, a prominent Muslim cleric and known critic of the insurgent group.
The Nigerian military says it is beating Boko Haram and that the recent increase in attacks signifies increased desperation among insurgents. Chief of Army Staff Kenneth Minimah told troops in the north this week that security challenges in Nigeria are “not insurmountable.”
But Odekunle says the Boko Haram threat needs more than a military response.
Most Nigerians live in abject poverty. High unemployment and lack of education leave a lot of young men willing to fight because they have no other way to survive.
“The government needs to address the social order issues, which constitute of economic and educational issues that are underlying the emergence and sustenance of Boko Haram,” said Odekunle.
Odekunle says Nigeria has the physical might to beat Boko Haram, but not necessarily the political will. In the meantime, he doesn’t think Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in northern Nigeria, has the capacity to attack southern oil refineries.
But A.B. Umar, a former Navy captain, says recent attacks in the north show the group has far more support than is generally believed.
“How are they able to go to airport and attack the airport with all the checkpoints of the military and the police?" he asked. " How are they able to go in to the barracks and attack the barracks with all the checkpoints?”
It is not clear who is financing Boko Haram, but they are obviously well-funded, Umar says. And as improbable as it might seem to southerners who have been free from Boko Haram attacks, he believes they may have the equipment and resources to expand.
Abdulkareem Haruna contributed to this report from Maduguri, Ardo hazzad contributed to this report from Bauchi
Boko Haram
Major attacks blamed on Nigeria's Boko Haram2009
- July - Attacks prompt government crackdown in Bauchi and Maiduguri; 800 people killed
2010
- December - Bombings in central Nigeria and church attacks in the northeast kill 86
2011
- June - Attack on a bar in Maiduguri kills 25
- August - Suicide bomber kills 23 at U.N. building in Abuja
- November - Bombings in Damaturu and Potiskum kill 65
- December - Christmas Day bombings across Nigeria kill 39
2012
- January -- Gun and bomb attacks in Kano kill up to 200
- February - Maiduguri market attack kills 30
- June - Suicide car bombings at three churches kill 21
- July - Attacks in Plateau state kill dozens, including two politicians at a funeral for the victims
2013
- February - French family kidnapped in Cameroon, held hostage for two months
- April - Fighting with troops in Baga kills up to 200; residents say troops set deadly fires
- May - Attacks in Bama kill more than 50
- July - Gunmen kill 30 at a school in Yobe
- August - Gunmen kill 44 at a mosque outside Maiduguri
- September - Gunmen kill 40 students a dorm in Yobe
- October - Attack Yobe state capital Damaturu, clash with military in Borno state
As reports filtered in Wednesday that gunmen in Bama were once again shooting people and setting homes on fire, Boko Haram released a video statement saying it plans to widen its reach, to attack oil refineries in the south and continue its assault on Muslim clerics that don’t agree with its harsh interpretation of Islamic law.
Analysts say Boko Haram’s continued threats and attacks are a sign that the Nigerian government has failed to stop the more than four-year-old insurgency, despite nine months of emergency rule in three northeastern states.
Femi Odekunle, a professor of criminology at the University of Abuja, says,
“The government must double its efforts with more men and more resources to contain them and to prevent them from spreading to other parts of the country.”
In the video statement, the self-proclaimed leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, also claimed responsibility for killing Sheik Adam Albani, a prominent Muslim cleric and known critic of the insurgent group.
The Nigerian military says it is beating Boko Haram and that the recent increase in attacks signifies increased desperation among insurgents. Chief of Army Staff Kenneth Minimah told troops in the north this week that security challenges in Nigeria are “not insurmountable.”
But Odekunle says the Boko Haram threat needs more than a military response.
Most Nigerians live in abject poverty. High unemployment and lack of education leave a lot of young men willing to fight because they have no other way to survive.
“The government needs to address the social order issues, which constitute of economic and educational issues that are underlying the emergence and sustenance of Boko Haram,” said Odekunle.
Odekunle says Nigeria has the physical might to beat Boko Haram, but not necessarily the political will. In the meantime, he doesn’t think Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in northern Nigeria, has the capacity to attack southern oil refineries.
But A.B. Umar, a former Navy captain, says recent attacks in the north show the group has far more support than is generally believed.
“How are they able to go to airport and attack the airport with all the checkpoints of the military and the police?" he asked. " How are they able to go in to the barracks and attack the barracks with all the checkpoints?”
It is not clear who is financing Boko Haram, but they are obviously well-funded, Umar says. And as improbable as it might seem to southerners who have been free from Boko Haram attacks, he believes they may have the equipment and resources to expand.
Abdulkareem Haruna contributed to this report from Maduguri, Ardo hazzad contributed to this report from Bauchi