The Boko Haram sect, though has been existence since 2001, did not become popular in Nigeria until 2009, when it participated actively in the sectarian violence, which occurred then in Northern Nigeria.Mohammed Yusuf, who remained the group’s leader until men of the Nigerian Armed Forces killed him in 2009, founded the Boko Haram sect. After his death, Abubakar Shekau became the new Boko Haram leader, and he still holds that position to date. Other prominent members of the group include Abul Qaqa and Abu Zaid, both spokespersons of the group.Even though the group started out as a purely Islamic group, the present disposition of the group is questionable for three reasons. Firstly, the group is not only out for non-Muslims, it is fighting the government as well. This is evident in the group’s bombings of the UN complex in Abuja and other government owned structures. Secondly, recent Boko Haram news revealed that the group does not exclusively comprise of Muslims, as a few non-Muslims have been implicated as members of the group in the past.Thirdly, the group has not spared some prominent Muslims, as they had attacked mosques and killed Islamic religious leaders in the past.The Boko Haram crisis, which is still ravaging Nigeria to date started formally in2009 with the sectarian religious violence between rival Islamic groups in Northern Nigeria. However, since then, not less than 10,000 people have been killed in various activities spearheaded by the group.
Boko Haram Attacks Timeline Below is a timeline of the group’s nefarious activities to date:
September 7 2010 – Bauchi prison break
December 2010 – The Abuja attacks
April 22 2011 – The Yola jailbreak in which Boko Haram allegedly freed 14 prisoners suspected to be members of the group
May 29 2011 – Multiple bombings in different locations in northern Nigeria
June 16 2011 – Bombing of the Nigeria Police Headquarters, Abuja
June 26 2011 – Bombing of a beer garden in Maiduguri, in which 25 people died and 12 were severely injured
August 12 2011 – Murder of prominent Muslim cleric Liman Bana by Boko Haram
August 26 2011 – Another bombing in Abuja
December 25 2011 – the Damaturu attacks
January 5-6 2012 – Multiple bombings in Northern Nigerian
January 20 2012 – The Kano bombings
February 8 2012- Suicide bombing at the Army headquarters in Kaduna
February 16 2012 – Prison break in Central Nigeria. 130 prisoners released
June 3 2012 – 15 church-goers killed in Bauchi
June 17 2012 – Suicide bombing attacks on 3 churches in Kaduna.
Nigeria military have been making more effort to put an end to this
Insurgency and restore peace in the northern part of the country.
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