In its latest tactic to make an Islamic state, Boko Haram is adopting the same gruesome, murderous methods as ISIS, stamping out Christianity with an almost religious fervor, say human rights activists. Just one day ago, the group killed 16 people in a village in Cameroon, a military spokesman told CNN Saturday.
Since voicing their allegiance to ISIS last month via Twitter, the militant Islamic group has gone on several killing rampages across the north of Nigeria, with little being done to stop them. In Borno state on April 7, it has been reported that 24 of the Boko Haram extremists disguised themselves as Christian preachers and killed 24 people.
A witness to the attack, Simeon Buba, spoke by telephone with the NY Post, saying, “People didn’t know the Boko Haram men came for attack because they lied to our people that they came for preaching.” He added “They opened fire on them and killed many people.” Buba said several houses were also set on fire.
Besides the over 200 schoolgirls abducted last year, Boko Haram has been targeting 18-year-old girls and the wives of Christians, abducting and then forcing them to accept Islam. Schools and churches are also being targeted now, and Christians are executed on the spot.
It is still questionable whether Nigeria’s newly-elected president Muhammadu Buhari will be able to halt Boko Haram. While some territory once held by the extremists has been regained with the help of troops from neighboring Chad, not enough is being done by Nigeria’s military or the government.
The international community needs to do more, says Nina Shea, director of the Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute. “Boko Haram is probably the most lethal Islamic extremist group in the world,” she added. “They want a pure Islamic State.”
Observers are now worried that the killing of Christians will get even worse, especially with the release of the new ISIS video showing the massacre of Christians in Libya.
