The governor of the Boko Haram-infected Borno state in northeast Nigeria, Babagana Umara Zulum, has reportedly revealed that the extremist group is re
The governor of the Boko Haram-infected Borno state in northeast Nigeria, Babagana Umara Zulum, has reportedly revealed that the extremist group is responsible for making tens of thousands of widows and orphans in the state as it continues its reign of terror, ChristianPost is reporting.
Zulum, a college professor criticized ineffective government leadership for its inadequate response to the insurgency that continues to wreak havoc in his state.
Boko Haram, which began in 2002, has killed and abducted thousands across the Lake Chad region in recent years and has developed a reputation as one of the world’s deadliest terrorist groups.
Zulum provided a glimpse into how Boko Haram’s violence has impacted over 100,000 people. He said Boko Haram is responsible for the creation of 59,311 orphans and 59,123 widows throughout its existence.
Even though President Muhammadu Buhari has claimed to have defeated Boko Haram, the group — which has splintered into two different cells — continues to murder and kidnap. The government has faced criticism for its failure to protect citizens and thwart Boko Haram’s attacks and abductions.
Zulum said part of the problem is an unwillingness of those close to people in power to tell the truth about the situation. He added that there is an unwillingness of political leaders to hear the truth.
“Some people will never tell you the truth when you are in power and honestly, many of us in power also do not want to hear the truth, we prefer to be told what we like to hear and that is a serious deficit in leadership in the country. A strategic leader must be a strategic listener and reader. A strategic thinker must also be a strategic learner. A strategic leader must be willing to hear the truth and to learn.”
Zulum’s remarks come weeks after the execution of Lawan Andimi chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria’s chapter in the Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, gained international headlines. Andimi was abducted by Boko Haram in January and was seen praising God in a ransom video released online. But days later, Andimi’s killing sparked an outcry from the Christian community and Christian Association of Nigeria. CAN criticized the very questionable leadership of the security sector.
Buhari pushed back against criticism from the Christian community in a recent article in which he explained that Boko Haram is not “primarily targeting Christians.” He argued that 90 percent of all Boko Haram victims have been Muslims.
Nigeria ranks as the 12th worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution, according to Open Doors USA’s 2020 World Watch List. Last month, Nigeria was placed on the U.S. State Department’s “special watch list” of countries that tolerate or engage in severe violations of religious freedom for the first time.
“We are designating [Nigeria] special watch list for the first time because of all of the increasing violence and communal activity and the lack of effective government response and the lack of judicial cases being brought forward in that country. It is a dangerous situation in too many parts of Nigeria. The government has either not been willing to or have been ineffective in their response and the violence continues to grow,” U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Sam Brownback, told reporters on a press call in December.
