Abstract
This chapter explores the conditions that led to the rise of religious extremism in Nigeria and Boko Haram in particular. It demonstrates that Boko Haram rose out of near perfect conditions in Nigeria—high levels of inequality, poverty, and illiteracy; a history of religious tensions; government apathy; military failures and opportunistic charismatic preachers/leaders. This has all been exacerbated by the state’s failure to respond in a timely and measured manner to push back the Islamist insurgency.
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Notes
- 1.
The full and original name is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means “People of the Sunnah for Preaching and Jihad Group”.
- 2.
For more on this topic, see Anja Dalgaard-Nielsen’s chapter in this volume.
- 3.
Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, Jere, Ngala, Bama, and Biu in Borno State; Damaturu, Geidam, Potiskum, Gujba, and Bade in Yobe State; Jos North, Jos South, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom in Plateau State; and Suleja in Niger State.
- 4.
Collected from interviews in Nigeria; for further details see Varin (2016).
- 5.
Further discussion of these issues can be found in Varin (2016).
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Interview
Interview 1. Nigerian Military Scholar, in Abuja, Nigeria, August 2015.
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Varin, C. (2018). The Perfect Storm: A Study of Boko Haram, Religious Extremism, and Inequality in Nigeria. In: Steiner, K., Önnerfors, A. (eds) Expressions of Radicalization. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65566-6_9
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