“Mr Shekau said his group had done no wrong and so an amnesty would not be applicable to them. It was the Nigerian government that was committing atrocities against Muslims, he said. “Surprisingly, the Nigerian government is talking about granting us amnesty. What wrong have we done? On the contrary, it is we that should … Continue reading »
Tagged with Boko Haram …
A Glimpse into the World of Almajirai in Northern Nigeria
I first met Hannah Hoechner in May this year, at the Oxford University Pan African Conference. I was outside the conference hall, getting some fresh air and chatting with several people when this friendly long haired brunette came to us and said hello in Hausa. Fascinated, we proceeded to ask her how come she could … Continue reading »
June 2012: Who is “Crushing” Who?
March 28th 2012 is one of those memorable days many Nigerians will not forget in a hurry. This was the day when reports filtered out that President Goodluck Jonathan had in an interview in far away South Korea, the previous day, confidently assured the international community that Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad commonly referred to … Continue reading »
“What is Boko Haram?” ~ A Report by BBC’s Andrew Walker for USIP
Several weeks ago, in an NGO where I was working then, one of the Executive Directors of the organization came to my department, to say hello to everyone. We exchanged pleasantries, and he asked of my nationality, to which I replied “Nigeria“. He then asked what part of Nigeria and I said ”…from the North…”. He … Continue reading »
Nigeria’s Porous Borders in Pictures
I have always heard that Nigeria’s borders are porous, I never quite grasped the magnitude of the “porousness” until I received these pictures below of the Nigeria-Niger border at Birnin Kuka. I kept thinking afterwards, of a word synonymous with, yet which would signify an extreme form of “porousness”, combined with the words ”Useless” “farce” “joke” … Continue reading »
Nigeria, Boko Haram and Pervasive Distrust
At around 01.30 am in the wee hours of Tuesday 13th March, while checking local Nigerian and global news as I usually do before heading to bed, I came across an article on the British daily’s website The Independent, titled “On the Trail of Boko Haram” by Andrew Stroehlein, the Communications Director of the International … Continue reading »
Interview with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai on Boko Haram and State of the Nation
This post is an excerpt from the February 25th edition of the Nigeria Village Square (NVS) NOW WHAT weekly series of which I am a panel member. It was originally posted HERE. Enjoy!! Now What Podcasts : The NOW WHAT podcasts Series are initiated by a desire to chart a way forward for Nigeria following the … Continue reading »
A People in Terminal Decline
For a while now, I’ve had reason to believe that the people of Northern Nigeria, especially the (in)famous “dominant” group, the Hausa-Fulanis seem to be in terminal decline. Could this conviction have stemmed out of the aftermath of the 2011 Nigerian general elections and the rampage of the Northern youths against the so-called Northern leaders … Continue reading »
Our Silent and Unsung Heroes
It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. In the era of new media and youtube videos though, one could well say a video clip is worth a thousand photo albums, a few seconds of which could tell a compelling story better than any book, verbal explanation or detailed written analysis. This … Continue reading »
Boko Haram Attacks: a Literature Review
“SubhanAllah! What! I think another bomb just got detonated in my area. It shook the living daylight out of my house which is close to police headquarters, Bompai. From my room I can hear fierceful gun battle.” Friday 20th January, 5.13pm local time “Another bomb just went off, shaking the very foundation of our house. … Continue reading »
