BOKO HARAM UPRISING

AND
FORCED MIGRATION IN
NIGERIA
Yahaya Umar
Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic Sokoto Nigeria.
Namahe
 Introduction
 Forced migration arising from Boko Hram uprising is an issue of great concern to the
Nigerian government.
 According to Osagioduwa and Oluwakorede (2016), out of the 33.3 million
internally displaced persons in the world 15 million persons can be found in Africa.
 The most devastating armed conflict that has led to force migration of people in recent
times particularly in the northeastern part of the Nigeria is the Boko Haram uprising
(Gamawa, 2017).
 Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) reports that in Nigeria, over 1
million people were forced to flee their homes as at April 2015 due Boko Haram
crisis.
 However, as at December 2015, the number force immigrants increased to over 2
million IDPs in the region.
 Forced migration have seriously affected economic, social and political activities, of
the displaced people as they were particularly agriculture forced to abandon all their
belongings including farms and livestock, which in many cases were taken over by
the insurgents (Mohammed, 2017).
 Conceptual Clarification
 Boko Haram is a Hausa expression denoting that ‘Western education is sinful or
forbidden. This is the most common name of the movement. The Arabic connotation
of the organization is Ahlisunnah Lidda awaiti Wal-jihad meaning the people who are
committed for the propagation of the prophet’s teachings and jihad.
 The name Boko Haram was given to group by the rural people of Maiduguri the
capital city of Borno, Nigeria where the movement began in the early 2000s.
 Though the name of the movement has since been popularised in both local and
international media, the name does not actually reflect the full aim of the organization
which is to take over the Nigerian government, which they belief is corrupt, and to
establish an Islamic state with Sharia law and to do away with all western influences
such as universities (Abdulazeez, 2016; Barna & Michalko, 2014)
 Adamu and Rasheed, (2016) defined forced migrants as those persons or groups of
persons who have been obliged to flee their original homes to other places or in order
to run away from the menace of armed conflicts, situation of generalized violence,
natural or human-made disasters or violations of human rights, and who have not
gone out of their country boarders
 Boko Haram Ideology
 Boko Haram group is said be among the Wahabi or Wahabia school of thought.
 they claimed to practice the pristine form of Islam, which is devoid of any kind
of innovations.
 They don’t belief in staying in an environment where Muslims, Christians, Jews
and other people practicing different religions or mixed religion.
 They are against democracy and any kind of ruling that is contrary to teachings
of their version of Islam.
 Western education is against doctrines of Boko Haram, and they consider,
technologies, institutions and all other forms of recreational entertainment as
negating to previous Islamic living.
 Boko Haram beliefs that, they have power determine who is Muslim and who is
not.
 In their rulings, whenever they consider people as non-Muslims, it warrants
spilling their blood, taking away their belongings including their women as war
loot.
 This explain why Boko Haram justifies killing Christians and killing Muslims
who do not practice Islam the way they think it should be practiced (Abdulazeez,
2016).
 Leadership and Funding
 Boko Haram at initial stage was under Mohammed Yusuf who is
assisted by lieutenants that included Abubakar Shekau, Mamman
Nur and Muhammad Lawan.
 The group had an advisory council known as the shura which was
the highest decision making body.
 The leader (amir) speaks on behalf of the group subject to the
approval of the shura.
 A local amir represents the leader in all major cities that the group
has strong presence, who is appointed alongside with the leader
and he is to oversee and organizes the group’s operations.
 The group divided Cities and large towns into laina (sectors) into
sectors which are under the supervision sub-amir for easy
operations and administrative convenience.
 Leadership and funding - cont’d
 According to Abdulazeez (2016) the Boko Haram organization source
their funds through membership fees: ie. Each member had to pay 100
Naira every day to help develop the cause of the organization.
 Another source of funding is that, sermons and preaching’s are
recorded and sold on CDs all over Northeastern Nigeria as well as
across borders in Chad and Niger.
 The rich members of the group also give out Zakat (Muslim charity
supposed to be paid to the poor) to the organization
 Other on confirmed sources includes; International extremist Islamic
organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Movement for Unity and Jihad in
West Africa (MUJAO) and AQIM
 Some politicians, some foreign NGOs: are also reportedly to been
aiding the group financially (Barna & Michalko, 2014).
Effects of Boko Haram on Forced
Migration
 The activities of Boko Haram begin in 2007 when a governortorial aspirant Ali Modu
Sharif solicited help from the group and promised to pay 50 million Naira, 50
motorcycles and to implement Islamic Sharia in Barno if he win the election.

 Ali Modu won the election and fulfils part of the agreements made with the group such as
paying those 50 million Naira and given them 50 motorcycles.

 However it was impossible for the governor to implement Sharia in the state because the
state is not only dominated by Muslims.

 The Barno state government banned the riding of motorcycle without helmets in July
2009, but the group refused to comply by the law.

 This resulted to the arrest of Boko Haram members by the Police this increased to the
already tension on ground. Consequently on the 26th of July 2009, the group begins to
attack police installation, in retaliation the police lunched counter attacks on the group
members for example on the 28th of July 2009, the group’s mosque was put ablaze by the
police and many of their houses were burnt Similarly, several members of the group were
killed and some were arrested.
Effects of Boko Haram on Forced
Migration – cont’d
 Among the arrested was their leader Mohammad Yusuf and was murdered without trial
shortly after his arrest (Abdulazeez, 2016).
 As a result of this incidence, a lot of Boko Haram followers runaway and went
underground. Parts of them went and join the Al-Sha-baab training camps in Somalia.
 On their return back to Nigeria in the year 2010, they organized one of the most
successful prison breaks in the history of the country.
 The members broke the Bauchi prison and free all members arrested in 2009.
 The group came out as a launched sect using dangerous weapons: unpremeditated
explosive devices (IEDs), kidnappings, and suicide bombings(Abdulazeez, 2016)
 The uprising has reportedly compelled 1.5 million people to leave their homes to other
parts of Nigeria and at least another 150,000 have taken asylum in neighboring countries
like Cameroon, Chad and Niger republic. Government counter-insurgency actions have
also aided to anxiety and force movement, in the north-east and in neighboring countries.
 The forced migrants majority of who are children and women suffers a lot of threats to
their physical well-being and restraints on their freedom of movement.
 Many are distressed by the violence that provoked them to leave and are afraid to return.
Images of Boko Haram Members
Images of Forced Migrants
 Conclusion
 From the above discussion, it is clear that forced migration caused by Boko
Haram is a big challenge to Nigeria’s quest at improving human development.

 It is evident from this paper that Boko Haram uprising has compelled large
number of people to flee their homes particularly in northeastern Nigeria and
has made them to be exposed and prone to all forms of abuse, neglect and
exploitation.

 Furthermore from the figure of forced migrants it is clear that, all the three tiers
of government the local government, state and federal as well as the host
communities are all affected by the menace of Boko Haram.

 More so, the lack of basic needs such as food, shelter, health care, education and
security among these people makes them become exposed to any forms of
radicalisation.
This paper, therefore recommend the followings with a view to enhanced the
conditions of the displaced.
 The Way Forward
 Government should provide job opportunities to the forced migrants
particularly those living in the camps
 The government should provide more health care facilities to the camps
 Government should increase the budget allocation to the educational
sector, the health sector, agricultural sector, infrastructural sector,
transportation and housing sectors.
 International organizations, NGOs, and Business should join hands with
government in assisting those affected by the Boko Haram crisis.
 Government should construct housing estates in strategic locations in
each of the states to serve as precautionary measures to alleviate the
plights of the forced migrants.
 NEMA and SEMA should well equip so that they can be able discharge
their duties effectively.
 Adequate monitoring of the happenings in the camps should be
intensified by the government