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Background:
In just a five year span between 2014 and 2019, ‘Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal Jihad’ (hereinafter, referred to as Boko Haram) has managed to launch more than 2,800 attacks, taking more than 31,000 lives. This violent extremist organization (VEO) has left Nigeria in a state of crisis from its actions, resulting in the loss of economic progress and domestic stability. Moreover, Boko Haram aims to and has established an Islamic Caliphate in Nigeria by an armed struggle and has pledged support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Previous Research:
Many studies have been conducted to try to understand the domestic factors in Nigeria contributing to Boko Haram’s recruitment. For instance, many point out that Islamic fundamentalism is some of the main factors attracting recruits to this VEO. With regards to Islamic fundamentalism, the Social Movement Approach is also used to try to understand why thousands of Nigerians are joining Boko Haram and how this approach eases the recruits into joining the organization. The failure of the Nigerian government to adequately provide Muslims in the North with social provisions has been examined as well to understand how Boko Haram exploits this deficiency. Nevertheless, there is a consensus that there is a multitude of factors crosscutting each other that led to thousands of Nigerians and persons from neighboring countries to join the VEO.
Our Research:
The Role of Islam in Northern Nigeria Examining the historic and present role of Islam in Northern Nigeria is needed to understand the VEO’s Sunni Wahhabi ideological framework that is used to attract recruits. Afterall, Boko Haram was established to install Sharia law in the northern Nigerian states, then to the rest of Nigeria. The start of Boko Haram’s recruitment is often seen as the creation of an Islamic complex by Yusuf Muhammad in northern Nigeria, which attracted many fundamentalists who would later become the organization’s first jihadist fighters. Nevertheless, to understand the extremist attraction of this organization it is important to note that Boko Haram believes western education and influence are actively destroying Islam. This sentiment is amplified when one considers how Nigerians interrupt the historic importance of Islam.
Many scholars credit various Islamic social movements that were present in Nigeria in the past for the emergence of Boko Haram. For instance, Mohammed Marwa’s Maitastine movement, the Sahaba Muslim Youth Organization, and the Yobe Taliban amongst others all encouraged Islamic political mobilization throughout Northern Nigeria and have gained massive followings. Many scholars term this chain reaction as the Social Movement Approach as fundamental Islamic civil society was already highly active in Nigeria before Boko Haram’s emergence. Thus, contributing to the easing of recruits joining other VEOs like Boko Haram. Moreover, for many Muslims in northern Nigeria, practicing Islam and wanting to preserve Islamic beliefs serves as a path of decolonization from their former oppressors and a step towards equality. In fact, one study concluded that approximately 9% of Boko Haram interviewees claim that religion was a factor for joining the VEO.
Economic Inequalities in Nigeria
Many scholars iterate that economic and social inequalities in states drive people to seek outside providers or change. For instance, Political scientists James Fearon and David Laitin argue that countries whose per capita income is less than $1,000 experience a 41% increase of the change of civil war. Concerning Nigeria, however, it is evident that there is great income inequality amongst the Muslim North and the Christian South. And economic woes in Nigeria, in general, creates a sense of marginalization and crisis – and these factors are exploited by Boko Haram.
Poverty in Nigeria is a huge problem that attributes to mass turmoil amongst the masses. In fact, it is estimated that 54% of Nigerians live in poverty with the North disappointedly being affected. Of those who live in north-east region of Nigeria, about 72% of Nigerians live in poverty, for illustration. Moreover, between the years 1992 and 2010, poverty rose in Nigeria’s Northwest from about 36% to 78%. Thus, upheaval was dramatically increasing and the desire for change was prominent. And many believe that one way of changing the situation is to join Boko Haram. In accordance with a study conducted by Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, which interviews former Boko Haram members, it concluded that 15% of them cited poverty as a reason for joining the organization.
Social Inequalities in Nigeria
Many authors attribute the lack of accountability and the provision of social programs 5 and security by the Nigerian government to be major factors that legitimized Boko Haram. For instance, Ini Dele-Adedeji argues that the lack of social provisions created a gap in which external actors would attempt to fill the void. Moreover, Nigeria has been plagued in numerous ethnoreligious conflicts for decades and more recently, the Kaduna Sharia riots of 2001. Many researchers also contribute an increase of political upheaval in Nigeria due to Nigeria’s election system. This sentiment of upheaval is amplified in the North when Nigeria is headed by a Christian president as many Muslims in the north view the Christians as uncappable of addressing their needs. Thus, political upheavals can help explain why Nigeria has been experiencing mass Islamic Movements throughout its creation. Additionally, as examined in the previous section, the dramatic rise of poverty in recent years further contributes to the belief that the Christians are unable to fulfill the needs of the Muslim North.
Conclusion
Understanding domestic factors that factors in Nigeria that led to recruitment into VEOs like Boko Haram requires a multifaceted analysis of Nigeria’s historic context as well as its present conditions. Therefore, examining the role of Islam is a necessity to understand why many marginalized Muslims in Nigeria’s north would join this extremist Sunni Wahhabi terrorist organization. Nevertheless, as examined in our research, there are numerous crosscutting factors contributing to many joining this VEO.
