The catalog of atrocities committed by Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram is harrowing.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of women and children have been abducted from their homes. Captives report being gang-raped and forced into sexual slavery. Young girls have been sent to blow themselves up in suicide attacks. The relentless slaughter of men, women and children has made Boko Haram the deadliest terrorist group in the world in recent years.

Why would anyone join such a group?

A new report by aid agency Mercy Corps seeks to answer that question. The U.S.-based group interviewed 47 former members about the reasons they entered Boko Haram and published its findings this week.

The militant group has thousands of members, including fighters and people playing other supportive roles, such as smuggling and logistics, analysts say. Its ranks are made up mostly of young men, but it also has some female recruits.

The Mercy Corps report paints a complex picture of Boko Haram’s recruitment tactics.

First, though Boko Haram has lately become notorious for abducting children and forcing captives to fight or carry out suicide attacks, not all recruits join against their will.

Most ex-members interviewed by Mercy Corps fell in the gray area between coercion and choice. Some said they were threatened; some faced extreme pressure from friends, family or colleagues, while others saw the group as their least bad option in impoverished and marginalized northeast Nigeria.

“I officially joined them when they started killing indiscriminately,” one man told Mercy Corps. “I needed protection and immunity from persecution by them so I could continue with my business.”

Second, the group attracts recruits with a blend of religious ideology, social pressure and economic incentives.

The financial draw is not just about escaping poverty and unemployment, both of which are high in northeast Nigeria. In fact, the study found Boko Haram recruits poor and rich, employed and unemployed alike.

Rather, the group plays on the ambitions of young men who are struggling to get ahead in an area with scant financial services and pernicious inequality and corruption.

Several former recruits depicted Boko Haram as a mafia-style organization, offering young entrepreneurs loans for small businesses like shops, salons and tailors and then forcing them to join the group when they couldn’t repay the loan.

One man told Mercy Corps that his Boko Haram recruiter “started playing me their preaching tapes to convince me, and he equally started [financially] assisting me and my parents.” Soon after, his recruiter made it clear that he was obligated to join Boko Haram because of these financial “gifts,” so he fled for his life.

Third, nearly half of the Boko Haram recruits interviewed for the study were women. Some of them were abducted or coerced by their husbands into joining; others were recruited voluntarily by friends or family.

Some women told Mercy Corps that joining Boko Haram provided opportunities for religious study and status within the militant group.

“I just wanted to learn more of the Quran and my religion,” one woman told Mercy Corps.

The study provides an important insight into the profile and motivations of Boko Haram members and offers strategies to stem the flow of recruits. Mercy Corps urged more access to financial services, reintegration of former fighters and support for counter-narratives that have already proved effective against Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria.

But it should be read with attention to an important piece of context — Boko Haram has changed almost beyond recognition since it first emerged in 2002.

Before the death of its founder, Muhammed Yusuf, in 2009, the group was a radical but predominantly nonviolent sect that espoused strict Islamic governance as the answer to the region’s rampant corruption. After Yusuf was killed, Boko Haram went underground and re-emerged as a brutal insurgency under its hardline and elusive new leader, Abubakar Shekau.

The study found a “marked difference” in Boko Haram’s recruitment techniques after 2009, Mercy Corps’ Rebecca Wolfe, who worked on the report, told The WorldPost.

“As Boko Haram’s tactics became more violent, community acceptance started to go and people weren’t joining as much as being coerced,” she said.

Further, some researchers said that the study’s depiction of Boko Haram attracting wealthier recruits through a coercive micro-lending scheme was more typical of the earlier days of the group under Mohammed Yusuf.

“Yusuf was a wealthy man himself, as well as a charismatic preacher,” Virginia Comolli, the author of Boko Haram: Nigeria’s Islamist Insurgency, told The WorldPost. “He was able to offer people small amounts of money which they used to set up small businesses like motorbike taxis and paid the proceeds back into the group as membership fees.”

“It was both a way of attracting people and attracting revenues.”

Comolli and other researchers said they had not seen much evidence of such tactics since Yusuf’s death, but the Mercy Corps study found this practice of offering business incentives has continued.

“We did speak with several former members who joined post-2009 who were at least partially influenced or coerced by the offer of business support,” study author Lisa Inks told The WorldPost.

The study demonstrates how Boko Haram, like extremist groups around the world, has multiple ways to attract, intimidate and coerce recruits, including exploiting the socioeconomic and political grievances of the area.

“People are attracted by the violent ideology and by their legitimate grievances against the state,” Comolli said. “You feel like you are somebody when you are given a gun and a mission.”

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/boko-haram-recruitment-tactics_us_571265afe4b06f35cb6fc595

But anyway..Technically.. they being defeated.. even our ajala travel all over the world presi just upgraded into martial art ways.. they will be crushed finally in tae kwan do way..

Bbbvv

K

okay, whateva the reason for people joining there is no gain in it

To me I just feel dey lack orientation dat y, I can find any genue reason above for someone to convince me to join boko haram wit all dis peanut dey offer, for me even if u like offer me d current Nigeria budget n tell me to bomb my self for one silly religion or one nonsense jihad, u are just wasting ur time.

“You feel like you are somebody when you are given a gun and a mission.”...............So misplaced!

i guess buhari joined because they promised him...that they will destabilize gej's govt....hmmm
when he wins he will offer them immunity n tell us he defeated bokoharam

checkmate mr.dullard
now i see......

Left out the major reason... Most uneducated Hausas in the north are gullible.
I have lived in the north for over 19 years and from observation EVERYTHING a Leader or a person of higher social class says is correct.
A man once said in hausa -There goes the biggest Toyota camry, his inferior friends were like- eh!! gaskiya ne!! (very correct) 10mins later another camry passed and he showed the same set of people the camry saying that this new one was the latest and he made a mistake on the first one and they still yelled eh!! gaskiya ne!! Alhaji.

Was under one tree taking my shayi and indomie jejehly while observing the conformists.

I still don't get it why someone will seat somewhere and be saying reasons why people join BH, my question is WTF whoever come with these ideas must be StUpId. If u not a BH member please don't FuCkIng tell me the reason why people join cuz u not them

This is serious

But another boko haram is raising its ugly head and this time around they are heading south and they operate under the name fulani herdsmen,the painful part of it is that the FG is doing nothing about it.

End time recruitment. God will judge them

drizzytee:

Left out the major reason... Muzlimz are generally gullible.
I have lived in the north for over 19 years and from observation EVERYTHING a Leader or a person of higher social class says is correct.
A man once said in hausa -There goes the biggest Toyota camry, his inferior friends were like- eh!! gaskiya ne!! (very correct) 10mins later another camry passed and he showed the same set of people the camry saying that this new one was the latest and he made a mistake on the first one and they still yelled eh!! gaskiya ne!! Alhaji.

Was under one tree taking my shayi and indomie jejehly while observing the conformists.

You are very gullible
Any set of people can be gullible. Like a woman woild allow a pastor sleep with her or give him head cos he said his sperm is holy. Or start eating grass cos se idiot claims to be a man of God.

May God expose all the evil people behind Bokoharam. God help Nigeria

Boko Haram are one of the eviliest creatures in the world both in ideology and actions. That's why when the Prophet (PBUH) prophesized about them, he ordered them to be fought and killed.

A terrorist is a terrorist no matter how he or she joins.

HaneefahRN:


You are very gullible
Any set of people can be gullible. Like a woman woild allow a pastor sleep with her or give him head cos he said his sperm is holy. Or start eating grass cos se idiot claims to be a man of God.

ok

Hillzy:
To me I just feel dey lack orientation dat y, I can find any genue reason above for someone to convince me to join boko haram wit all dis peanut dey offer, for me even if u like offer me d current Nigeria budget n tell me to bomb my self for one silly religion or one nonsense jihad, u are just wasting ur time.

true, that's just because you are educated ,probably have a family that care about you and you can provide yourself 3 square meal a day,but can we say the same for those in the North? don't get me wrong, am not in anyway justifying their action am just saying should circumstances should change, even you can be one of the finest soldier boko-haram will recruit.
the best way to end boko haram and the emergent of another sect is reducing the poverty in the North, providing education to all at least to secondary school level, and curbing there ever increasing population which is a function of the people and the government, cause I don't know why you will be poor and still go ahead and have like 20 children and 4 wives, maybe it's illiteracy or cultural belief to me it's plain stupid

I feel irritated. I feel irritated because the Nigerian Army should've given this report, not distant amebos who stick their nose to wetin nor konsain them just to either worsen the mata or make public display of a states weekness

Michael820:
true, that's just because you are educated ,probably have a family that care about... don't get me wrong,. providing education to all at least to secondary school level, and curbing there ever increasing population which is a function of the people and the government, cause I don't know why you will be poor and still go ahead and have like 20 children and 4 wives, maybe it's illiteracy or cultural belief to me it's plain stupid

LAST TIME I CHECKED IN THE WHOLE OF AFRICA FREE EDUCATION IS GIVEN MOST IN NORTHERN NIGERIA THAN ANY OTHER AFRICAN STATE. LETS JUST BE TRUTHFUL TO OURSELVES, THIS GUYS HATE SCHOOL. PERIOD! THEY RATHER SEND THIER KIDS TO BEG THAN GO TO SCHOOL. WHAT A TWISTED WAY OF THINKING.ALWAYS FINDING SOMEONE TO BLAME 4 D MESS THEY CREATED, THEIR PEOPLE HAVE BEEN IN LEADERSHIP FOR MOST PART OF THE PREVIOUS CENTURY TILL NOW BUT YET,D POOREST,MOST ILLITRATS, MOST BITTER SET OF INDIVIDUALS FROM D NORTH. BLAME CHRISTIANS, BLAME IGBOS, BLAME WHITE MAN.WTF?!

We all know why they join boko haram and other mujahadin's jihadist squard..
Islam. Mohamed. Allah. Quran.

sunniislam:
Boko Haram are one of the eviliest creatures in the world both in ideology and actions. That's why when the Prophet (PBUH) prophesized about them, he ordered them to be fought and killed.

can u pls show me where ahmed ibn abdulallah said that.

*open quran and hadiths*
...waiting for u.

Anything from Western Media about Boko haram is a lie.. Big lie.. This is the same technique being used in Syria. It's pure lie. They have network of recruiting boko haramites and you even have many of them on Nairaland. The likes of ValerianSteel, Missy89 and so on.

They use kidnapping as well to lure the victim into it. Different techniques and by the way this is from Wahhabi/Takfiri/mujadeen saudi arabia terrorist instituition backed by the anglozionist empire to use for its geo-political gains. In other words as a tool to further invade,attack, conquer, divide and rule each component strategy. That is the Islamic depart from Abraham religious ideologies technique. Now you have the other side of it that is the Christianity part of the same Abraham religious ideologies which use colour revolution to also futher same geo-political gains. Typical example is Nnamdi Kanu being sponsored from the Anglozonistempire itself, the leaders.. And the funny thing is you now have a combine strategy from these two Sunni islam and Christianity.

The arab Spring is a combined strategy from the Empire of lies, AnglozionistEmpire. Also the same stategy was downplayed in Syria and in Ukraine. The Ukraine saw Yanokowich removed frompower to instal washington Puppet. Meanwhile they are stuck in the removering process in syria. Egypt was taken back from the Brotherhood small turkey or ottoman Empire. Also a puppet to the Zionist controlled regime

And last on the list is also Shia of Iran or Shii group in Nigeria. Also disagreed from the same clan. Here it's a small anti Sunni group also forming a parallel goverment in Nigeria. So when everything explodes, all these religious ideologies head-quarters will have their own fair share.. I have one strong phrase for all of Nigeria's existential threats. "Wrought in Hell", cos Nigeria has come to stay and it's bigger than the empire of lies combined....

If they need anything to defeat it, they know where to go and that is destroying the instituition rather than using it to their advantage.

Western progandists should please stop already. We have had enough disinformation or propaganda from you.