Boko Haram | 16 Jun 2025

Source: TOI 

Nigeria is witnessing a renewed insurgency led by Boko Haram, threatening its national security.  

Boko Haram: 

• Boko Haram is an Islamic sectarian movement that emerged in northeastern Nigeria in 2002, founded by Mohammed Yusuf.  
  • They mainly inhabit areas in the northern states of Nigeria, specifically Yobe, Kano, Bauchi, Borno and Kaduna. 
• Boko Haram meaning ‘Western education is forbidden’ opposes Western-style education and secular governance and aims to establish an Islamic state. 
• It emerged in Nigeria in the mid-1990s as a moderate Islamic group, influenced by post-Biafran War grievances (1967–70), which saw over 2 million deaths amid government suppression backed by Western powers and oil interests. 
• They operate across borders in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, and remain one of the deadliest terrorist groups in Africa despite efforts to suppress it. 

Nigeria: 

• Nigeria (also known as Giant of Africa) is a country in West Africa shares borders with Niger, Chad, Cameroon, Benin, and the Gulf of Guinea. 
• It has the largest population in Africa and the 6th largest in the world, in addition to being the 4th largest economy in Africa.  
• It gained independence from Britain in 1960, with Abuja as its capital. 
• The country features the Cameroonian Highlands and is rich in natural resources, especially petroleum and natural gas.