Nigerian Islamist sect posters threaten uprising
Wed Feb 2, 2011 5:42pm GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text [+]
By Ibrahim Mshelizza

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - A radical Islamist sect in northeastern Nigeria threatened an uprising against the government on Wednesday and claimed responsibility for the killing of a prominent local politician last week.

Boko Haram, which is behind months of unrest and targeted killings, put up posters around the remote northeastern city of Maiduguri warning of a "full-scale war" and telling civilians to stay away from politicians and members of the security forces.

"We are carrying out these attacks in order to propagate the name of Allah and to liberate ourselves and our religion from the hands of infidels and the Nigerian government," the sect said in posters written in the local Hausa language.

"We are therefore calling on Muslims in this part of the world to be wary because very soon, we would launch a full scale war," it said.

Police spokesman Lawal Abdullahi urged people to remain calm and said the security forces were investigating who was responsible for plastering the messages on public buildings.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful", wants sharia (Islamic law) more widely applied across Nigeria but its views are not widely espoused by the country's Muslim population, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sect members launched an uprising in 2009, attacking government buildings and leading to days of gun battles with the security forces in which as many as 800 people were killed.

The sect repeated its claim of responsibility for Christmas Eve bombs in the central city of Jos, which triggered ethnic and religious fighting which has since killed more than 200 people.

The posters described sect members as "warriors of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, under the leadership of Imam Abu Muhammad Abubakar Bin Muhammad, popularly known as Shekau".

It was an apparent reference to the sect's one-time deputy leader Abubakar Shekau, who had been believed killed in the 2009 fighting but who issued a statement last July on a jihadist website voicing solidarity with al Qaeda and threatening the United States.

POLITICAL KILLINGS

The sect said it killed politician Modu Fannami Gubio and eight others last Friday. Gubio was the state governorship candidate for April polls for the All Nigeria People's Party, which controls Borno state, of which Maiduguri is the capital.

The city sits in one of Nigeria's poorest regions near its northeastern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger in the Sahel, a strip of savannah on the southern edge of the Sahara desert.

The unrest is unlikely to derail national presidential and parliamentary elections also due to be held in April, but it adds to a security headache for President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, which is dealing with the unrest around Jos and the threat of violence in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

The army deployed 870 soldiers to central Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital, this week to replace members of a security taskforce which has been accused of being too slow and partial in dealing with the violence there.

Jos lies more than 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Maiduguri and the dynamics of its conflict -- which centre around ethnic rivalry for political and economic power -- are different to the overtly religious agenda of Boko Haram.

It is unclear how many followers Boko Haram has but poverty, unemployment and a lack of education have meant its leaders have managed to build a cult-like following which is as much violently anti-establishment as fervently religious.

"As you can see, security agents have been deployed to churches to guard them while the same security agents are the ones maltreating the Muslims," the posters said.

"This is the time for all of us to rise and change this government, and give way to Muslim government."

Boko Haram has sometimes been referred to as the "Nigerian Taliban" but no evidence of established operational links with the Taliban in Afghanistan, al Qaeda or any other foreign militant groups has been made public.


http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7110GN20110202?sp=true

As long as it takes off and stays within there own last, i have no problems with it.

if these people should take over nigeria na wahala be that oh.

refugee problem, etc.

anyway, it cant happen.

riff raffs!

The problem with Nigerian government, politicians and police is the refusal to admit the truth. The Governor and police were saying it was a political assasination but we all know that the Boko Haram has taken a dangerous turn long time ago. Instead of our intelligence services to swing into action, the only thing they can think of doing is to flood the city with police and army who are mostly have low IQ and become ready target for the Boko Haram.

Maiduguri is a desert city. There are no mountains and no forrest; fishing these people out would have been much easier if the police/intelligence services were doing their job.

I dey laugh o. Pdp has failed us.

[size=14pt]Southern Nigerians are some of the SLOWEST people on earth! Wow! This is not a Joke. Boko Haram was never wiped out, they simply went to regroup. This is a serious threat. Wake TF up. Butchering babies is a message.

Al Quaeda is already in Nigeria, that is where Boko Haram is getting their Bomb Technology from. The CIA know this and that is why they are in Nigeria.

The next logical step to declaring Sharia States is to call for an Islamic State.

Wake TF up! ! ![/size]

If there is an Islamist uprising throughout the North, that will give the people of the East more impetus to leave this nation. Since Eastern Nigeria is predominantly Christian, we be able to tell the international community that we fear the rise of this Islamist threat.

The Yoruba are on their own, because they have Muslims amongst them.

Tsiya:

The problem with Nigerian government, politicians and police is the refusal to admit the truth. The Governor and police were saying it was a political assasination but we all know that the Boko Haram has taken a dangerous turn long time ago. Instead of our intelligence services to swing into action, the only thing they can think of doing is to flood the city with police and army who are mostly have low IQ and become ready target for the Boko Haram.

Maiduguri is a desert city. There are no mountains and no forrest; fishing these people out would have been much easier if the police/intelligence services were doing their job.

@ bold [size=28pt]Bingo! ![/size]

frosbel:

Nigerian Islamist sect posters threaten uprising
Wed Feb 2, 2011 5:42pm GMT Print | Single Page [-] Text [+]
By Ibrahim Mshelizza

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) - A radical Islamist sect in northeastern Nigeria threatened an uprising against the government on Wednesday and claimed responsibility for the killing of a prominent local politician last week.

Boko Haram, which is behind months of unrest and targeted killings, put up posters around the remote northeastern city of Maiduguri warning of a "full-scale war" and telling civilians to stay away from politicians and members of the security forces.

"We are carrying out these attacks in order to propagate the name of Allah and to liberate ourselves and our religion from the hands of infidels and the Nigerian government," the sect said in posters written in the local Hausa language.

"We are therefore calling on Muslims in this part of the world to be wary because very soon, we would launch a full scale war," it said.

Police spokesman Lawal Abdullahi urged people to remain calm and said the security forces were investigating who was responsible for plastering the messages on public buildings.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful", wants sharia (Islamic law) more widely applied across Nigeria but its views are not widely espoused by the country's Muslim population, the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.

Sect members launched an uprising in 2009, attacking government buildings and leading to days of gun battles with the security forces in which as many as 800 people were killed.

The sect repeated its claim of responsibility for Christmas Eve bombs in the central city of Jos, which triggered ethnic and religious fighting which has since killed more than 200 people.

The posters described sect members as "warriors of Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, under the leadership of Imam Abu Muhammad Abubakar Bin Muhammad, popularly known as Shekau".

It was an apparent reference to the sect's one-time deputy leader Abubakar Shekau, who had been believed killed in the 2009 fighting but who issued a statement last July on a jihadist website voicing solidarity with al Qaeda and threatening the United States.

POLITICAL KILLINGS

The sect said it killed politician Modu Fannami Gubio and eight others last Friday. Gubio was the state governorship candidate for April polls for the All Nigeria People's Party, which controls Borno state, of which Maiduguri is the capital.

The city sits in one of Nigeria's poorest regions near its northeastern borders with Cameroon, Chad and Niger in the Sahel, a strip of savannah on the southern edge of the Sahara desert.

The unrest is unlikely to derail national presidential and parliamentary elections also due to be held in April, but it adds to a security headache for President Goodluck Jonathan's administration, which is dealing with the unrest around Jos and the threat of violence in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

The army deployed 870 soldiers to central Plateau state, of which Jos is the capital, this week to replace members of a security taskforce which has been accused of being too slow and partial in dealing with the violence there.

Jos lies more than 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Maiduguri and the dynamics of its conflict -- which centre around ethnic rivalry for political and economic power -- are different to the overtly religious agenda of Boko Haram.

It is unclear how many followers Boko Haram has but poverty, unemployment and a lack of education have meant its leaders have managed to build a cult-like following which is as much violently anti-establishment as fervently religious.

"As you can see, security agents have been deployed to churches to guard them while the same security agents are the ones maltreating the Muslims," the posters said.

"This is the time for all of us to rise and change this government, and give way to Muslim government."

Boko Haram has sometimes been referred to as the "Nigerian Taliban" but no evidence of established operational links with the Taliban in Afghanistan, al Qaeda or any other foreign militant groups has been made public.


http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE7110GN20110202?sp=true

VERY GOOD! VERY VERY GOOD!! THE EVIL A GOVERNMENT DOES WILL EVENTUALLY CATCH UP AND BITE IT IN ITS A.SS. AT LEAST THIS WILL MAKE THE SEAT OF THE GOVERNMENT LESS ATTRACTIVE.

;d

A beg, make them start it now and should make their agenda known from day 1, to create Sharia State of Arewa out of Nigeria.

That makes it a lot easier for us, quickly gather them together and draw a line across Nigeria, Arewa for them, Southern Nigeria for us.

Obiagu1:

A beg, make them start it now and should make their agenda known from day 1, to create Sharia State of Arewa out of Nigeria.

That makes it a lot easier for us, quickly gather them together and draw a line across Nigeria, Arewa for them, Southern Nigeria for us.

Not clear to me how this helps bring about the partitioning of Nigeria, though. Sort of need uprisings in the south as well.

Presumably they want to kill off what they view as collaborationist Muslim politicians and replace them. Doesn't mean they want to secede (as much as I wish that this were the case  ).

I know many of these Northerners wished they had a leader like Ahmadu Bello. Say what you like or dislike about him, but he actually cared about his people. Northern leaders today do not represent their people in any way.