Time To Stop Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab And Other Global Terrorist Groups Is Now

AGUNLOYE ADEWUNMI BASHIR

Africa region has been experiencing significant levels of terrorism since 2013 till dates. Africa has largest numbers of classified terrorist groups in the world which are Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,  Armed Islamic Group of Algeria, Boko Haram terrorist group of Nigeria,  Egyptian Islamic Jihad,  Muslim Brotherhood, Al-Shabaab of Somali, Ansar ul-Islam and Ansar among others.

According to “Terrorism In Africa: A Qualitative Analysis” written by Adriana Linsde Albuquerque, 218 known organizations have perpetrated terrorist acts in Africa. But, only a handful of groups are behind most of the major incidents.

Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab, the two notorious terrorist groups based in Nigeria and Somalia were responsible for nearly 50 percent of attacks in Africa.

In West Africa,  Boko Haram, the  Nigeria version of Al-Qai’da, which means “Western Education is a Sin” came into existence since year 2002. In 2009, it metamorphoses into a violent sect to create an Islamic State in northern Nigeria. Thereafter,  in 2015, the sect pledged allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). It has extended its operations to the neighbouring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic.

From record, Boko Haram have massacred over 100,000 people both civilians and military personnel in Nigeria,  displaced hundred of thousands of people and destroyed millions Naira  property through suicide bombings and assaults on civilians as well as kidnapping of over 276 school girls.

The terrorist group Boko Haram (BH),  and a splinter group known as Ansaru, had carried out series of kidnapping, killings, bombings, and attacks on civilians and military targets. The Nigerian states where these attacks occurred most frequently are Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Plateau, Taraba and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On July 6, 2013, over 50 students were murdered in their dormitories at Mamudo Government Secondary School in Yobe State.  44 persons praying at a Mosque outside Maiduguri and another 12 civilians nearby in Borno were simultaneously killed.

Also,  Boko Haram terrorists killed more than 40 students in the dormitory of an agricultural technical school in Yobe State. 24 people massacred in a coordinated and complex attack on the Maiduguri Airport and Air Force base,  wounded dozens,  and destroyed a large numbers of military equipment including several military helicopters.

Another military personnel and numerous civilians were killed by the terrorists at the Nigerian Army Barracks in Bama, Southern Borno in a well-coordinated attack among other series of terror acts perpetrated by the notorious Boko Haram.

Recently, and precisely on Friday 13 December, 2019,Four aid workers were killed and two others kidnapped by Boko Haram in the Nigeria ‘s volatile northeast ,it has been reported that on Sunday, 26 May, 2018, Five Nigerian Soldiers were killed and many missing when Boko Haram’s Islamic State backed laid an ambush in Borno village of Sabon Garin Kimba . Also, earlier on Sunday, May 18, 2019 , the sect have attacked a Nigerian Army base in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State, a soldier was reportedly killed and three others were injured.

According to U. N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF),  the activities of Boko Haram has forced more than 2,000 Schools to close and disrupted the education of more than a million Children.

Records show that Boko Haram alone have carried out over 180 attacks in Nigeria making the sect the most deadly terrorist group not only in Africa but globally.

Through the activity of Boko Haram, the economy of northern Nigeria, for example, has been in devastated situation, the fight against Boko Haram is sucking the scarce financial resources of States in the north -east Nigeria.

On the other hand in East Africa,  Al-Shabaab which means “the youth ” in Arabic , a Somalia-based terrorist group that operates also on Ethiopian Land of Addis Ababa and Kenya.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations,  Al-Shabaab has about 18,000 fatalities attributed to it alone. Al-Shabaab has carried out two major  attacks on Nairobi’s Westgate Shopping Mall in 2013 where at least 65 people died. Most Westgate attack victims were citizens of Kenya, United Kingdom, India, Canada and France, Australia, China, Ghana, Netherlands, Peru, South Africa, South Korea, Trinidad and Tobago.

In Somali City of Mogadishu,  Al-Shabbab terror group killed 588 people mostly civilians outside the Sfari Hotel and also massacred 77 people at the City of Afurur near a Somalia National Army (SNA) base in Af-urur, Bari, Somalia.

In January, 2019, a deadly terrorist attack claimed by Al-Shabaab shook Nairobi, Kenya where 21 civilians in a hotel and office complex of the victims were involved, 16 were Kenyan, one American,  and three were of African descent. In that attack, 30 victims were also injured.

The activity’ of terrorists be it in Nigeria, Africa and globally on innocent people is an act of wickedness and unacceptable.

Boko Haram and Al-Shabbab terrorism acts are barbaric, inhumane, cowardly and anti-progressive.

Whatever motives or reasons of the terrorists – Al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS), Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab and other terror groups in Africa and across the globe is unacceptable.

Terrorist groups are only using religion as cover to perpetuate devilish and killing fellow human beings.

They must be stopped now.

Agunloye Adewunmi Bashiru (bagunloye@gmail.com) wrote this piece from Lgos, Nigeria