Nigeria: Bloody Easter

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April 9, 2012: Boko Haram has become increasingly aggressive but at the same time has angered most of the Moslem population. While most Moslem Nigerians approve of Boko Haram goals (to eliminate corruption), they are appalled at the methods, as well as the Islamic radicals' goal of establishing a religious dictatorship. This popular anger can best be measured by the growing number of tips police are receiving, providing details of where Boko Haram men are and what they are doing. In response to this Boko Haram men are torn between terrorizing civilians and preaching to them. Neither approach is working and Boko Haram finds itself working in an increasingly hostile atmosphere. Another problem is a lack of bomb building skills and experienced leadership. Many of the Boko Haram attacks are poorly planned and bombs often do not go off, or explode before they are supposed to. But as long as there are enough young men willing to join Boko Haram the terror will continue.

April 8, 2012: In the northern city of Kaduna a Boko Haram car bomber, turned away from a Christian church by security forces, detonated his bomb in traffic as police approached, killing 38 people in the blast.

In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, three Boko Haram men were killed and two arrested after a brief gun battle with police (who had received a tip from local civilians). Elsewhere in the city soldiers found and dismantled a roadside bomb.  In the central Nigeria city of Jos, another bomb went off near a Christian church, wounding several people.

April 4, 2012: In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, Boko Haram gunmen killed nine people in a market. This was probably part of the Boko Haram intimidation campaign to prevent civilians from informing to the police and to encourage people to donate money to the Islamic terrorists. Later that day two Boko Haram men were killed, along with a policeman, as the Islamic terrorists unsuccessfully attacked a police station.

Security forces in the north warned civilians to be on the alert for Boko Haram attacks on Easter Sunday. The army and police are setting up additional security near Christian churches in the north.

April 2, 2012: In the northern city of Kano two Boko Haram men were seized by civilians when the Islamic radicals attempted to terrorize a neighborhood. But before the police arrived several other Boko Haram gunmen came and killed the two captured men, apparently to prevent them from revealing any information.

March 31, 2012: An army raid on a Boko Haram bomb workshop in northern Kogi State. The gun battle left a policeman, a soldier, and nine Islamic terrorists dead.

 

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