current recruitment in nigeria

the islamic extremist group boko haram hasbeen terrorizing greater nigeria for more than a decade. since their insurgency began, the group haskilled an estimated 20 thousand people and forced millions to flee their homes. meanwhile, amnesty international estimatesthat their force has grown to around 15 thousand members by using a variety of recruiting schemes. so where does boko haram get its soldiers? well, unlike isis, which recruits from allover the world, boko haram gets nearly all of its soldiers from northeastern nigeria,as well as chad and cameroon.

studies have shown that most are young men,who come from poor, rural villages in boko haram’s most frequented areas. experts say the median age of a recruit is30, however reports have shown teenage and even child soldiers, some as young as eight. so, why are so many young nigerians joiningboko haram in the first place? well, the answer depends, in large part, onwhen they joined. when boko haram formed in 2002, they operatedas a mostly non-violent rebel group, effectively marketing themselves as an alternative tonigeria’s corrupt and increasingly western government.

for seven years, boko haram drafted membersfrom public meetings, during which they preached a revolution to create a purely islamic state. during this time, studies show that most ofboko haram’s soldiers joined voluntarily. however in 2009, the group lost much of theirpopular support and turned to other means of building their army. this is widely regarded as when boko haram’smodern insurgency began. new leadership took over, and the group begancarrying out acts of terror—first on police, then on civilians. as a result, most of boko haram’s post-insurgencysoldiers were either strongly coerced or forced

into the group. according to a 2016 report by mercy corps,much of boko haram’s recruitment strategy is founded on false promises of capital orloan support. the group reportedly gives loans to smallbusiness-owners, only to show up unannounced demanding immediate repayment. when the borrower can’t pay, he is essentiallyforced into the insurgency. similarly, many business owners have allegedlyjoined in the hope that they’ll receive a loan for their business. but experts say boko haram’s most powerfulrecruiting tool is social pressure.

according to the same report which examineddozens of former militants, nearly every person joined under the coercion of a relative, closefriend or business partner. this is not unlike the islamic state, whichreportedly recruits many of its local members through social ties. but more and more, boko haram has resortedto outright force in order to recruit soldiers. this is especially true for female members,many of whom were kidnapped and enslaved by the group. some of these women have been forced intomarriages, and others have carried out suicide missions.

a number of women have reportedly joined bokoharam out of pressure from their husbands or families. but boko haram’s reign of terror may deceleratein the near future. aggressive counter-terrorism efforts fromthe west and the nigerian government, could dissuade at-risk youth from joining the insurgency. the nigerian government has thus far beenunsuccessful at reaching its deadlines for defeating boko haram. however with new strategies for preventionand reintegration, we may hopefully see an end to the insurgency in the coming years.

despite boko haram’s drop, the group hasbeen statistically deadlier than isis. yet, few people have heard of the group, andit doesn’t appear to be a priority for much of the world. so, why don’t we care? find out in this video. thanks for watching seeker daily, don’t forget to like and subscribe for new videos every day.

Fahmy Herbals @ 04.23