IS TALIBAN IN NIGERIA?

GOING PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN WAY?

Another African country, Nigeria, came under Islamic terrorism with spurt in violence killing at least 150 people in northern part of the country. Boko Haram, an Islamic group which is opposed to western education and culture, has perpetrated this violence in which police stations and churches were burnt. This organization which claim that it is linked to Al-Qaeda and Taliban was formed in 2004 it self to counter spread of western education and culture in Nigeria. It is opposed to spread of Christianity also in this poverty stricken African country.

This attack is supposed to have come as retaliation after clashes in the Muslim dominate state of Bauchi and Yobe in Nigeria in which some Muslims were reported killed.

Although Boko Haram’s link to Taliban in Afghanistan or Al-Qaeda of Osama-bi-laden has not clearly been established but neither of the two world’s most dreaded terrorist organizations have denied this connection also. Muhammad Ysusuf, the supreme leader of Bako Haram, in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, unequivocally stated that his organization is linked to Taliban and is working for imposition of Shaiat law in Nigeria because, what he reportedly says, western education has corrupted the Nigerian society and government to core.

President of Nigeria, Umaru Yar’Adua has ordered national security agencies to take strict actions against perpetrators of violence and ensure safety and security of civilians. Massive hunt is launched to nab the culprits.

The spurt in violence on religious lines is very dangerous, especially in view of Nigeria’s geographical and strategic location. The total population of Nigeria according to 2007 census is 148,000,000 which are divided into 250 ethnic groups. It is home of variety of religions and main among them are Islam and Christianity. There are indigenous religions like Igbo Odinani and Ifa. Among Muslim, 95% are Sunnis and rest is Shia minority. The problems is that if this violence engulf other parts of Nigeria and spreads to other African country, it will provide grazing grounds to the Islamic terrorist organizations. The communal violence between Muslim Uighur and Hans in Urumqi of Xingjiang province of China is bound to have its repercussions in other central Asian countries as well as African countries. If this fire spreads to other parts of Africa and Central Asia, it will aggravate the situation, which has already attained Global dimensions.

The international community therefore, must act and do needful in this regard because it seems that the terrorists are trying to form a crescent in south Asia, Central Asia, Africa and Middle East.