Boko Haram, a group which has split into three factions under Shiekh Abubakar Shekau, Shiekh Mamman Nur and Khalifa Abu Musaf Albarnawi, with each leader controlling the Sambisa forest, has continued to prove more deadly in attacks and suicide missions in Borno State and across the northeast region of Nigeria.
DAILY POST takes the records of the activities of this dreaded sect in the month of July, which put the number of the dead at 158 in Borno State alone.
This occurred mostly from suicide missions and attacks within and outside Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.
Dead toll from attacks within the northeast region is about 279.
The attack on oil workers, which left 69 dead at Borno Yesu along Magumeri, Gubio road in Maiduguri is the 16th number of attacks, excluding suicide bombing in Borno State. The attack is one of the most deadly in recent time. This has made the Boko Haram group, which claims affiliation with ISIS very deadly.
Although the military has reported killing of Boko Haram fighters in most of their encounter in July, 2017, most often there was no specific number to the effect.
The split or rather factions within the Boko Haram militants could only prove that this conflict will continue to be one of the most deadly conflict in the world today, even though the Nigerian military see the division as weakening the strength of the group.
However, media analysts, who have been speaking on the Boko Haram crisis opined that with the split in the Boko Haram is an indication that the war on terror may have just began.
According to Mr. Simon Dauda, and Mallam Abdullahi Mohammed, the faction created within the Boko Haram sect is something that should not be taken for granted, and therefore, called for concern.
“Before now, we were dealing with one man, Shekau. I think we should consider that our problem is not one as of today, but three with these faction under Mamman Nur and Albarnawi.
“Many people who are looking at the gradual return of peace within Maiduguri are too quick to conclude that peace has returned. I am not on that page with them as a reporter who has seen it all.
“My heart beat is even faster now than few years back because of the magnitude of the divide in the ranks of Boko Haram militants,” Malam Abdullahi observed.
He added that, “With the over 600,000 IDPs already enumerated for food sharing, the over 140 international non governmental organisations present in Maiduguri and the recent directives by the Acting President to Service Chiefs to return to Maiduguri is a pointer that claims of peace as it was being politicised is far from the reality on ground.”
Mr. Simon also observed that the activities of Boko Haram as it affects communities around Maiduguri, particularly now that they go to even force parents to donate their own daughters for suicide mission activities, calls for concern.
“I wonder what kind of peace we are talking about with such happenings around us. My personal opinion is that our government should not relax with such information flying.
“It is even worrisome that, Boko Haram militants riding on motor cycle can carry suicide bombers and drop them two kilometres from the city to go and detonate IEDs without our security agencies arresting those that are bringing those girls to kill,” he said.
