UNITED NATIONS IDENTIFIES MAJOR FACTOR FUELLING BOKO HARAM ACTIVITIES

The UN in its report pointed out further that the number of doctrinally based Non-Governmental Organisations sending funds to local terrorist groups was growing, and Member States were concerned that radicalisation was increasing the threat level in the Sahel.

“Meanwhile, Boko Haram (QDe.138) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have had a similar impact in their areas of control, including the Lake Chad basin.The predominance in the region of the cash economy, without controls, is conducive to terrorist groups funded by extortion, charitable donations, smuggling, remittances and kidnapping’, the report emphasised.

“In Nigeria, 111 schoolgirls from the town of Dapchi were kidnapped on 18 February 2018 and released by ISWAP on 21 March 2018 in exchange for a large ransom payment,” the report added.

Penpushing, however, recalled that, the Boko Haram insurgency in Northern Nigeria has caused over 100,000 deaths, while the activities of the country’s security forces have largely limited the terrorists to three North-east states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

In the same vein, Nigerian forces are also working with those of neighbouring countries, Chad and Niger, in a multi-national force to defeat the terrorists.