A vast shockwave was seen. Boko Haram is extending its reach from north-east Nigeria into the country’s north-west. It is taking advantage of old and new local conflicts and insecurities to further embed itself in the area through violent extremism.
Since January 2019 thousands of people in the north-west states of Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara have been killed or injured. Others have lost their livelihoods, at least 23 000 have been displaced and dozens have been abducted for ransom, nurturing an economy of violence.
The growing extremism here and in Niger State in the country’s north central region has led Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau to thank fighters from the north-west who he claims have expressed their allegiance and goodwill to the group. Communities in north-west and north central Nigeria, lacking state protection, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to these converging threats.
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Source: Institute For Security Studies