Boko Haram militants have taken over another Nigeria village in Yobe State; this time the Muslim extremist group has seized the Buni Yadi Town, storming the government headquarters and enforcing their own laws on residents.
According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Boko Haram executed two Buni Yadi residents for smoking in the town and killed another for dealing drugs. One man was punished with 80 lashes for cohabiting with a woman.
Boko Haram is gaining influence in Nigeria as the group expands its reign across the nation. 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.”
Publication date: August 26, 2014