Now That Boko Haram Has Joined ISIS

The recent pledging of allegiance of  Boko Haram to the  dreaded terrorist group, ISIS, should not be taken lightly, although the Nigerian government has dismissed it as propaganda. The lackadaisical posture of the government to the issue of security in the country has allowed Boko Haram to dig in for the past six years and even conquered some Nigerian territories in the northeast which are now being recaptured by the armed forces.  Allowing Boko Haram have a free rein in some parts of the country earned Nigeria  a  shameful place in the comity of nations.

Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram sect, in an audio recording posted on a social media site last  weekend, declared the allegiance of his group to the ISIS, led by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. This allegiance, if it is not mere grandstanding, means that Nigeria needs to brace up because the threat of an allegiance with  ISIS  means that Boko Haram could get all kinds of support in terms of finance and weapons  to sustain its war against  Nigeria. This could lead to a spread of their activities to hitherto peaceful areas of the country.

Apart from this,  a liaison between the two groups, which have similarities in their method of operation,  could  become an attraction for radicalised youths and fundamentalists in Nigeria. Already, the son of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria is reported to have moved to Syria with his two wives and children to join the extremist ISIS group.

Mike Omeri, Coordinator of the National Information Centre, recently announced that the government was aware that recruiters for ISIS from South Africa were seeking to recruit young, vulnerable Nigerians via the social media. Omeri said government agencies were collaborating with organisations and aggressively educating Nigerian youths on the dangers of jihad and radicalism.

If President goodluck Jonathan  had not underestimated Boko Haram, by now the terrorists would have been routed by the Nigerian  Army. Since 2009 when the Boko Haram sect began ferocious attacks across the country, Nigeria has lost at least 13,000 citizens. This figure excludes the number that had been maimed for life. It also excludes other categories of victims.

The government must begin to take  radical steps to prevent any form of collaboration or alliance between Boko Haram and ISIS at a time Boko Haram has witnessed heavy defeat from co-ordinated attacks by  the Nigerian military in cooperation with neighbouring countries such as Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

Nigerians who send their children to  countries that harbour religious fundamentalists to acquire education, must  monitor what their children learn to avoid breeding extremists who will return to Nigeria  and begin a campaign of hate and bloodshed.