Boko Haram In Nigeria

For many decades Nigeria has witnessed various forms of violent conflicts. In recent times the activities of a group known as Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria has become the major source of crisis and fear in the country. Notable among the gruesome activities of this group are attacks on churches resulting in the death of a number of Christians. Since Boko Haram is viewed as an Islamic fundamentalist group, the activities of the group against Christians are capable of igniting violent conflicts between Christians and Muslims. This article seeks to explain the role of civil society in preventing the escalation of the crisis into a battle between Christians and Muslims. Specifically the article examines the effects of the crisis in Nigeria and

For example the abduction of over 200 female students in Government Secondary School in the town of Chibok in Borno State, Nigeria on the night of April 14-15, 2014 has been a cause for concern to both Nigerians and the international community. Human Rights Watch observed that over 25, 000 people have been killed in the country since 1999 and events since the start of 2014 have reached unprecedented levels24. The United Nations and Nigerian officials report that more than 6 million Nigerians have been affected by the conflict between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government, and more than 300,000 have been displaced. Nigeria’s heavy-handed response to Boko Haram’s insurgent and terrorist operations has also taken a toll on civilians and complicated U.S. efforts to pursue greater counterterrorism cooperation with the Nigerian government, in spite of shared concerns about Boko Haram and its ties to regional and international terrorist groups and

It has crippled educational activities in most parts of Adamawa, Bornu and Yobe states. The insurgents have invaded primary and secondary schools, killing scores of children and their teachers in savage attacks unknown in modern history. In the mix of this insecurity, parents have to withdraw their children and wards, some undergraduates of higher institutions in the states affected have also sought admissions in equivalent schools in the south. Governments have been forced to also close down some of the schools in the most notorious areas that the sect has major hold. This has worsened the illiteracy rate in a region where illiteracy rate is as high as 80 percent, with many children roaming the streets. Boko-Haram crises and anti-insurgency operations and general insecurity had uprooted or displaced over 6000 people in north-eastern Nigeria. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) maintained that 6,240 people have taken refuge in Niger Republic for safety reasons. Others from Adamawa have also crossed over to Cameroun and Chad republics since the crises started in 200926. Additionally, the state of emergency in the North-East of Nigeria and the accompanying military operations in that part of the country have adversely affected economic activities generally, including agricultural production and food prices as well as