AN APPRAISAL OF THE EFFECT OF THE ISLAMIC SECT/BOKO HARAM ON THE DEVELOPEMENT OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT Boko Haram insurgency in northern Nigeria has posed a multifaceted threat to the nation since 2009. Successive governments have tried all possible measures to curtail it with no significant success recorded. The academia has also not been passive; hence the phenomenon has been approached from religious and political viewpoints. However, adequate attention has not been paid to its socio-economic implications. Therefore, this paper examined the Boko Haram insurgency and the challenges it poses to social and economic development of Nigeria and the implications of such for communities free from its activities. The work adopted historical method, which involved archival search, use of other academic materials such as journal articles, books and newspapers. Oral interviews were conducted with victims of Boko Haram who have relocated from affected places to southern part of the country. It was established that Boko Haram insurgency has wreaked much havoc on social and economic activities, culminating in retardation of growth and development in the country. The paper recommended the need for serious commitment on the part of the government in equipping the security agents and fighting corruption in the security system. More importantly, prosecution of identified Boko Haram sponsors must be done without fear or favour.
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Since the return to civil rule in 1999, religious intolerance has assumed a new dimension in Nigeria. The current wave of Boko Haram sect raises fundamental issues whether Nigeria is a lawless society or the problem of lawlessness has been part of the tradition and style of living of the people before the advent of the two major foreign religions (Islam and Christianity). Lenshie, Edward and Abel 2012: 10-30, opined that one of the major problems confronting Nigeria today as a nation is sectarian crises manifesting in various ways. However, solution proffered to the evident devastating effects has not yield positive results, hence successive administrations have had distractions of religious crises characterised by mistrust, suspicion and destruction of lives and properties. Boko Haram (figuratively, “Western or non-Islamic education is a sin”) is an Islamic group that is seeking for the imposition of sharia law in Nigeria. The original name of the group is Jama‟atuAhlisSunnaLidda „awatiwat-Jihad, which in Arabic means people committed to the propagation of the Prophet Mohammed‟s teaching (Danjibo 2010: 13-16). Therefore, It should be noted that the emergence of Boko
KIU Journal of Social Sciences 214 Haram crises in July 2009 changed the familiar phase and pattern of religious violence, riots and disturbances in Nigeria. However, aside the daily loss of lives and properties, the fear and animosities among the Nigerian populace particularly the threat posed to the security, economy, democracy and integration of the corporate society are alarming. This situation has made it difficult for the citizens and residents in some parts of northern Nigeria such as Borno and Yobe states to carry out their legitimate businesses. Various scholars have attributed Boko Haram crises to bad governance in Nigeria. According to them, Nigerians have been denied good governance for long and the youths that are mostly engaged in acts of violence, are the first victim of bad governance and acute corruption. (Onuoha 2012: 2, Bamidele 2012: 32-42, Danjibo 2010: 13-16). However, It should be noted that poverty and corruption in Nigeria are not limited to northern Nigeria alone but nationwide. This work, therefore, goes beyond poverty and corruption as the remote causes of Boko Haram crises in Nigeria. It contends that the current wave of religious fundamentalism became recurrent through religious manipulation and politicisation in the post-colonial era. The work concludes that unless the country‟s policies, cultural norms, law and value are enforced to redirect behavioural attitude toward governance in Nigeria, religious fundamentalism would thrive on. In this piece, we shall discuss the problem by focusing on how Boko Haram insurgency has affected Nigeria in the areas of politics, economy and corporate existence in this order. 2. Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria Boko Haram insurgency has confronted Nigeria with massive assaults, which undoubtedly have led to the death of many Nigerians and valuable properties destroyed. The sect has been described as the world deadliest and destructive terrorist, both in terms of brutality, mindless savagery and flagrant disobedience to the principles of peace and stability (Punch Newspaper 2015: 8). The sect unleashes terror, tension and fear in the mind of every Nigerian and the international community does not feel unaffected. Boko Haram as a group of Islamic fundamentalists is committed to carrying out holy war (jihad) and Islamising northern states of Nigeria and probably conquering the entire country through Jihad. In Borno, the stronghold of the sect, many lives and properties have been lost to the sect attacks. On the 28thJanuary 2011, the governorship candidate of the All Nigerians People Party (ANPP) Engineer ModuFannamiGubio and six other persons including the brother of the then Borno State Governor, AlhajiGoniModu Sheriff were killed by the insurgents (The Nation Newspaper 2011: 15). Its activities started with the clash with Nigerian police in July 2009. According to Okpaga, the investigation by the Nigerian police which was engineered by the report that the group was arming itself to wage holy war (Jihad) against the state led to the deadly clash between the two groups (Okpaga, Chigiote, Innocent 2012: 82-85). Attacks have focused largely on state security forces, police, soldiers, civil defence, and prison wardens, worship centres, community and religious leaders, politicians and other civilians who they consider as “enemies”. However, the attack on the United Nations Building at Nigeria‟s capital city Abuja, on 26 August 2011, which drew global attention, marked a departure from Boko Haram‟s traditional target of government facilities and indeed signposts the possibility of a change in target (Akande 2012: 1). There is evidence that some of the detailed elements of Boko Haram have link with foreign militant groups, including north- Africa based Alqaeda in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM). At the same time, Boko Haram remains firmly focused on domestic Nigerian issues. Whenever its spokesman claims responsibility for attack, he points at national grievances which are not similar to the ideology of Alqaeda. But its anger is directed not at America or Europe but at the Nigerian government. The sect has always claimed that its focus is on targeting officials of the government who have misused state funds hence, there are numerous cases of attacks in different parts of the country, which have wreaked much havoc.
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