Nigeria: Jihadists exploit “absence of the state”
A researcher has accused jihadist fighters in Nigeria of exploiting the “absence of the state” to infiltrate the country and expand their influence, as reported by RFI and agencies on February 8th.
Malik Samuel, a researcher at Good Governance Africa, stated that, “Nigeria seems to be fertile ground for these jihadist groups. The porous borders make it quite easy for them to infiltrate the country.”
Samuel continued, “JNIM operates in the Sahel, and yet they have a presence here in Nigeria. Lakurawa is based here in Nigeria, but they originally come from the Sahel. There are several reasons why all these groups converge on Nigeria.
He said that the main reason why at least six jihadist groups operate in Nigeria is that “absence of the state in certain remote parts of the country, and this vacuum makes it easier for these armed groups to establish themselves.”
Two prominent Nigeria-based Islamist organisations are affiliated with the so-called Islamic State, Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State in Western Province (ISWAP).
Both groups seek to destabilise the country and impose an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria, which would be governed by Sharia Law. They are particularly active in northern Borno State, which borders Cameroon.
However, Boko Haram’s operations are not limited to Nigeria, as the group has expanded into neighbouring countries, such as Cameroon, Chad and Niger, where militants have carried out deadly attacks.
Since its founding in 2009, Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates to “Western education is a sin”, has conducted numerous attacks in Nigeria, which have killed thousands of civilians and displaced many more.
In response to an attack on February 3rd that killed at least 162 people in the western Kwara state, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered the deployment of an army battalion to the Kwara state’s Kaiama district.
This attack occurred on the same day that Washington confirmed the deployment of a small US military team to Nigeria, which the head of the US Africa Command said was part of an effort to counter terrorist threats in northern Nigeria; however, there is no evidence that these events are connected.
US President Donald Trump has accused jihadists of perpetrating a “Christian genocide” in Nigeria, despite independent analysts and human rights organisations finding no evidence of widespread Christian persecution in Nigeria.
RFI and agencies, Maghrebi.org
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