BackDatAssUp:
[size=18pt]Birth of A monster[/size]

Mohamed Yusuf is widely accepted to be the original leader of the proscribed militant Islamic group commonly referred to as Boko Haram.

What most of you are not aware of is the original composition of Yusuf's inner circle which were drawn not from the vast population of poor ignorant masses in the north but from very educated young men of privileged background.

What most of you also are not aware of is that the radicalization of these young men did not begin with Yusuf or in some rundown Madrasah that dots northern Nigeria but in lecture halls in universities across northern Nigeria. They came to Yusuf because they could identify with his own very radical message.

The group gots it's nick name Boko Haram for its opposition of western styled education and mainly because the group was composed of young privileged and highly educated young men who turned their back on the world preferring a return to classical medieval Islamic society. Public destruction of certificates was done to woo more young men into their fold.

The group unsurprisingly continued to enjoy wide spread support among young northerners because of the energetic, vibrant and new perspective they offered. Within a short time, the group started to draw negative critism fom the old established clerics who not only frowned about their radical views but saw their own popularity wane in the midst of younger Muslims who preferred what Yusuf had to offer.

This critism will lead to both false and truthful allegations by the clerics to the authorities on the extent of the radicalization Yusuf was offering the youth. The security apparatus then swung in to investigate the activities of Yusuf and his group and severally he was "invited" to the police station to clarify issues. This only made Yusuf more popular among the youth and gave him an air of fighting the established order. The north was witnessing its first ever revolutionary character.

Yusuf sensing the new twist to his personality and movement will capitalize on his new found fame and status by pumping up the rhetoric even further. This is when the crooked politicians got to notice this young charismatic man. His popularity they (politicians) thought, could be used to their advantage and before long Yusuf added another feather to his influence and ego. With Politicians patronizing Yusuf and soliciting for his support base, things were bound to get to his head.

Here was this young man of humble background and limited education surrounded by children of the elite and the poor masses at his beck and call now getting visits from prominent local, state, regional and national political figures.

Before long the politicians began to use Yusuf's supporters to carry out violent attacks on their opponents for a fee paid to Yusuf off course.
This only made Yusuf more notorious with the security agents. But anytime he or any of his members were picked up both their highly placed political associates and the influential relatives of his Lieutenants swung into action to spring him out of custody.

Before long Yusuf built an air of impunity for himself and his members since they were always let go Scott free after any of their violent skirmishes within Borno. It didn't take long for concerned individuals to petition the DSS about Yusuf and before long he was picked up during the second tenure of Obasanjo and was held for a long period by the DSS. This was the time Yusuf met Asari in detention.

But eventually, Yusuf was released back into society and his aura had taken up legendary status.
This is a man that even the federal government could not convict.
From here on, grand delusions of grandeur began to set in and Yusuf thought he had everything at is disposal to take out the Nigerian state.

We thus, cannot exclude the influences of Yusuf's inner circle and their connections to the corridor of power in our polity in incubating the monster boko haram.

This goes to show that the Boko Haram insurgency has its roots in the northern oligarchy.

Abdulmutalab is a good example of how a young privileged and educated northern youth can become radicalized.

This is were the maitassine movement differs completely with that of Boko Haram.

The maitassine movement was drawn from the poor dredges of northern Nigeria. The maitassine movement was effectively dealt with because the northern oligarchy saw it as a revolutionary movement ( which it was) challenging their authority and dominance and as such this was why the group was completely isolated and summarily destroyed.

The case with Boko Haram is different as the group is intertwined with the northern oligarchy.

PappyMason:
Emir Sanusi has come out to state that Islamic terrorism and extremism currently ravaging the northeast can be traced to wide-spread illiteracy in the north.

quid:

^But this is PRECISELY what millions of Nigerians have been saying for decades now.
The Northern policy that accepts widespread dull@rdism (in the name of Islam) has seriously harmed many many many Northerners.
It is more 1mbecilic to think that Boko Haram will help the illiterates achieve their objectives (whatever those might be)

osaslord500:
Op I never knew lie also have latest.

PappyMason:


Obviously you did not complete reading the entire post before responding.

Finish reading it and see how Sanusi lied once again

barcanista:
Was Sanusi In Limbo when Nigerians were saying this?

quid:

I understand your point.
It is often difficult to locate the "causes" of historical events. The questions are:
1) Is Boko Haram caused by illiteracy?
2) Or is Boko Haram correlated to illiteracy?

Correlation is often confused with causation in historical analysis, and this is a very long story.

What ever be the case, I was responding MAINLY to the widespread disdain for formal education in the North. I also did my secondary school in the North and I remember my experiences there.

PappyMason:


A serial liar like Sanusi is hard to track down.

Normally his lies are now dated from the earliest to the latest which will include whenever he greets you "good morning"

PappyMason:


I consider wide spread illiteracy and poverty plaguing the north as a keg of gunpowder.

Islam is the fuse that blew sh1t up!

quid:

^But this is PRECISELY what millions of Nigerians have been saying for decades now.
The Northern policy that accepts widespread dull@rdism (in the name of Islam) has seriously harmed many many many Northerners.
It is more 1mbecilic to think that Boko Haram will help the illiterates achieve their objectives (whatever those might be)