Boko Haram captures another town in Nigeria, murders two for smoking

Boko Haram Islamic militants have seized another Nigeria village in Yobe State, the Buni Yadi Town, overrunning the government headquarters and murdered two residents for smoking, one for dealing drugs.

The terrorist group sentenced a man to 80 lashes for living with a woman he is not married to.

“Buni Yadi suffered several attacks this year. In February, over 50 people were murdered, most of them students, when sect members attacked the Federal Government College. In May, at least 14 soldiers, 11 policemen and two civilians were killed after troops were taken unaware by Boko Haram gunmen. Less than two weeks ago, Boko Haram gunmen reportedly abducted a traditional ruler and a local chemist,” reported Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

The Islamic extremists are spreading violently across the country, nearing Chad and Cameroon. It is believed that the goal of the militants is converting Nigeria into an Islamic state.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, said that the situation in Nigeria is not getting the focus it should due to the current crisis in Iraq.

“The appalling excesses of IS in Iraq and Syria have galvanised the international community into renewed efforts to combat Islamist extremism; however these efforts should not be confined to the Middle East,” he said.

“Parallels between the actions of IS and those of Boko Haram and its allied offshoots are not coincidental. A less compartmentalised approach must be adopted in order for militant jihadism to be addressed effectively, with punitive measures formulated at international level against IS replicated in the case of Boko Haram and other similar groups, including the disruption of funding.

“Nigeria is facing a transnational and existential threat and every possible assistance must be rendered to this strategic nation as a matter of urgency.”

Most recently the group captured a prominent police academy and made headlines for kidnapping over 200 girls.

Image/CIA