THE IMPLICATION OF BOKO HARAM INSURGENCY ON INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN FCT: A CASE STUDY OF KUCHIGORO IDP CAMP

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Boko Haram is an Islamic extremist group which according to Onuoha, (2012), literally means "western education is forbiden, and which, according to Walker, (2012) had been referred to as the Nigerian Taliban.  It had its official group name as Jama’atuAhlissunnaLidda’awatiWal-jihad which in Arabic means people committed to the propagation of the Prophet’s teaching and Jihad around 2002.

Although the Boko-Haram sect has operated with different names, their basic ideological mission has consistently been to impose a strict Islamic Sharia law in Nigeria (Onuoha, 2012; Walker, 2012). Furthermore, the nature of their activities have left people confused on its true objective as they kill both Christians and Muslims Galadima & Aluaigbe, (2015).

Boko Haram has its origin from Maiduguri, Borno State of the North Eastern Nigeria, as a fanatic Islamic movement and later spread to other northern states (Walker, 2012; Shuaibu, Salleh, & Shehu, 2015).  It is not clear when the activity of the Sect started Okoro, (2014).  But however, scholars traced its early start to the time of the radical Maitatsine movement between the 1970s and 1980s in Kano, which basically existed as a religious fanatic group (Akpomera & Omoyibo, 2014; Rogers, 2012).

The activities of the Boko Haram sect have also been traced to a more recent time in 2002, when Mohammed Yusuf, instituted an Islamic sect which became more attractive to the poor and unemployed Muslims of the state and nearby countries (Onuoha, 2012; Walker, 2012).

The sect believes that the Nigerian state has failed as a result of the looming political and economic corruption, social insecurity, poverty, injustice, and relative deprivation; which is influenced by westernization (Onuoha, 2012; Roger, 2012). Consequently, they excluded themselves from the `corrupt society' to enable them to attract membership through radicalization, and then, come back to violently establish `pure' Islamic State (Walker, 2012; Onuoha, 2012; Campbell; 2014).  Thus, they attracted some students from Borno and Yobe states, who withdrew from school, tore their certificates, and joined in the fight to establish a pure Islamic state (Meagher, 2014; Walker, 2012).

THE UNITED NATIONS AND CONFLICT RESOLUTIONS (A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE LIBERIAN CIVIL WAR 1980 TO 1998)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The eruption of most territorial conflicts around the world generally stems from ideological or religious differences, nationalism, colonialism, politics and competition for natural resources. While some easily degenerate into prolonged conflicts or wars that eventually involve the use of heavy weaponry, others get settled through diplomatic moves, coercion by the international agencies or agreements Nwolise, O. (2004). 

From December 1989, Liberia was engulfed in a brutal civil war. The war led to the overthrow and assassination of the government of Master Sergeant Samuel Doe, who had himself come to power in a bloody military coup d’etat on April 12, 1980. The conflict led to the flight of refugees to neighboring countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea (Conakry) and Cote d’Ivoire and later to other countries in the sub region like Ghana, Nigeria and the Gambia. Apart from these, a large number of Liberians were internally displaced by the conflict.

Peacekeeping and conflict resolutions has its origin in the United Nations and since its inception, the United Nations has developed a number of instrument for controlling and resolving conflicts between and within states Akabogu, Chike (2009).

The most crucial among them as in the Secretary General’s supplement to an agenda for peace is: peace building; disarmament; sanction; and peace enforcement.   The United Nations does not claim monopoly of these instruments. It is pertinent to state that in many instances, the instruments have been usefully employed by regional organizations, ad-hoc groups of the states or by individual states.