Counting terrorism in Nigeria Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Counting terrorism in Nigeria - Essay Example They are using violence and intimidation in a bid to overthrow the Nigerian government and to replace it with an Islamic one. Boko Haram believes that western education is a sacrilege and is highly prohibited. It has had numerous social, economic and political consequences in the country and should be speedily curbed. The term terrorism is not news to our ears since it has dominated various media outlets. Terrorism has had devastating effects on the political, social and economic development in various societies. The contemporary society is full of mushrooming terrorist groups like Al-Qaida, Taliban, Al-Shabaab, Hezbollah and Boko Haram among others. What is terrorism? The word terrorism, originates from the word terror. According to Hornby (2000), terror is defined as a feeling of extreme fear. â€Å"Terrorism is the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce especially for political purposes† (Dictionary.com 2012). Terrorists often stage sudden attacks on the unsuspecting civilians to push their agenda. Terrorism is an activity that has been condemned by most governments of the world; the United States taking the centre stage. Having explicated terrorism in general, we can now narrow down to a particular terrorist group, Boko Haram, in Nigeria. The paper will explore current terrorist activities in Nigeria by this group. It is in order to understand the term, Boko Haram. According to Domingo (2012), it is a terrorist group that was founded by one Mohammed Yusuf between 2001 and 2002. Northern Nigeria is predominantly occupied by the Kanuri ethnic group, and it is the stronghold of Boko Haram. Terrorist assemblages are often formed and propagated by the drive of revenge, believing that they have suffered historical injustices, which may be religious, political, social and economic in nature. Terrorist groupings do not believe in dialogue and have resorted to barbaric violent ways of handling concerns. They believe that the government is doing