Nigerians Comment on Latest Boko Haram Video

Yesterday, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau claimed in the latest video address that they have been holding over 200 Chibok town girls in capitivity. Upon watching the video, Nigerians have been expressing their reactions to the development and suggesting solutions on how to end the insurgency.

As we went through thousands of comments we have received, it became clear that the thoughts could be divided into several (often contradictory) categories. 

Shekau's claims have little in common with the principles of Islam

"Muslims are very loving and caring people," says commenter Don Enessy. "Just because one Jonathan hunter rose and started killing using Islam's name as cover-up doesn't mean Muslims are wicked or evil. What's happening is just some individuals working towards disintegration of our beloved country Nigeria. Let's stop insulting or accusing our Muslom brethren and bring positive suggestions on how to counter this insurgents. Remember, Nigerians who are being killed in the Boko Haram attacks are both Christians and Muslims. We may not know the negative implications of breaking up. Forget about which region has the highest mineral resources. There are countries that have no natural resources yet they survived."

"This man [Shekau] speaks out of his senses," Eliaz Olawale Raheem says. "Islam is a religion that preaches peace and not war. This useless man called Shekau has wasted so many lives including those of Muslims, he has also bomb-blasted so many mosques across the country, and those kidnapped students [the Chibok town girls] also include Muslims. All this shows that Boko Haram is not religion-motivated. God will conqure you very soon and this is the beggining of your end."

"I beg you for the sake of humanity, especially the Christians, not to judge the whole tree just because it has some unripe mangoes," Abubakar Sadeeq pleads. "I challenge the whole congregation, either Muslims or Christians, to tell me where exactly in the Qur'an or the Bible we are told to kill each other. In general, Mr. President [Goodluck Jonathan], you have tried to be a leader, you have a good mind. But Nigeria is too complicated for a citizen like you, so let others give it a try."

There's more to the girls' abduction and Boko Haram in general than we're allowed to see

Fortune A D Kpulubo asks, "How can someone come to a comunity, a local government, to a state and kidnap hundreds of children without anyone noticing the bus, the airplane or watever means of transportation used to carry them away? This video is an opportunity for the government to trace the culprits, from the principals to the chairman, and to the governor, because I suspect there is a link!"

Otto Chily explains: "It's not a religious war. This is a war between us and the Northern stakeholders. Sorry to say this, but don't think the South will let go just like that. You better have a rethink because the battle line is drawn. Over here we are ready, we act in the daylight, the world knows dat, while you do are playing hide-and-seek!"

Baffs Asset notes: "It is obvious that there is more to this so-called Boko Haram than we are made to believe. If truly it is an Islamic group, how come Saudi Arabia, the country of the origin of Islam, does not recognize Boko Haram? How come the group is peculiar only to Nigeria? How come they go to public places like Iyanya park in Abuja and to public schools? Can a bomb differentiate a Muslim from Christian? Islam encourages knowledge, both Western and Islamic. Where is all this coming from? Fellow Nigerians, shine your eyes!"

Nwadigwe Victor muses: "To me, this is a plan by the USA. We will be force-treated and when  will seek for help, they will tell us to sign gay rights before anything! And once we ask for their help, we are finished as they will control our oil and other resources!"

Yakubu Jamiu seconds that: "The U.S. have hands in whatever is happening to Nigeria because they need our oil. You are engaged in the war between the North and the Southsouth, it was wrong to start from the North. The U.S. are out there fighting Islam while Islam is consuming them at home, as many Americans are converting to Islam."

Samson Chukwuemeka says: "Boko Haram are not religious-sensitive, they are on a special assignment given to them by some political animals who thought out of their primitive evil minds they could us the media to distract the president and have it as a point to criticize his government distructively. Let's be realistica and stop beating around the bush. Let's stop accusing each other on religious basis. What is the brain behind Boko Haram, how do we tackle this challenge before us?"

Nwokeji Gideon suggests: "The culmination of bad leadership, bad politicking and bad followership over the decades have brought Nigeria to this point of dire repercussions. With our very powerful but weak federal centre, we are looking at mere matter of time before it fails to hold any longer. This is the very result of a general and profound i-don't-care attitude of Nigerians, caused by tribal hate, grudge or lack of feeling for members of other tribes or religion. I smell a disintegrated Nigeria in no distant time."

Nzei Theophilus maintains: "Lies, lies and more lies. This puppet called Shekau is a studge in the hands of some miscreants bent in derailing this government. Why would it take the pig head Shekau 3 weeks to claim responsibility for the abduction? Is it not because people are beginning to clamour that if its Boko Haram, they would have claimed responsibility, that the hand behind the clock asked him to come out and rant? When they bombed Nyanya [bus station in the susburb of Abuja; the April 14th powerful explosion claimed lives of about 80 people, leaving scores injured], it took them less than 24 hours to accept the responsibility. Look! something is fishy somewhere."

Nigerians are readly to unite against common enemy

Azaino Esuo agrees: "Sorry, Shekau, you can't come to the South, we are security-conscious here. Aboki will always have aboki looks, that makes it hard for you because when we see any aboki, we shall be watchful and see how he will store bomb. We are not like the people in the North who assist evil people to comit evil, so stop dreaming!"

Praiz Don says, "Nigerians do not understand how delicate the rescue of those girls is. They should not push the government to the wall for a quick intervention. Otherwise, those girls will be killed in crossfire, what the Boko Haram boys are ready to use them as live shields? If Nigerians are sincere enough, they should be suggesting solutions to the government rather than pushing it to exchange fire with the terrorists, undermining the safety of the girls. The same people pushing the government now will turn back and accuse them for killing the girls, this is what Boko Haram are aiming at. I believe [President] Jonathan is considering the best options in handling this ugly situation."

Longinus Nomeh gives an advice: "Please, just understand that no amount of killings can stop GEJ from going in for second term, that is culture of democracy. Stop the killing of your people. Stop taking your region backward. GEJ has the right, like every other Nigerian, to rule this country. Power monopoly is dead. Tell your brainwashing preachers to stop preaching nonsense and imbibe love, value of lives and tolerance in their sermons. Say no to Boko Haram, reject their agenda and live in peace with your fellow human beings!"

John Elibe Nigerian suggests: "Please, calm down. Why would a small boy that doesn't exist tickle your nerves? A toothless bulldog barks, and you comment. He is more afraid than you are, that is why he is commenting. He is not man enough, that's why he is hiding like a rat. He is a mistake to his mother."

Boko Haram leader Shekau is dead, the sect is bluffing

After scrutinizing the video, Sylvanus Eferebo concludes: "The man who is speaking in this unclear video is not the same Shekau that has been on media. Prior to this time, his videos have always been very clear, but not since after the military attack that reportedly killed or heavily injured him. I strongly believe that the "original" Shekau is dead, and the remaining sect members are using their own strategies to infuse fear on Nigerians and the government. This man in this current video is just a trained person to act and mimic the "original" Shekau. He emphasizes that the man who will come after him would be worse than him, but it is impossible to kill an already dead man. It will be almost Impossible to solve this menace in the way the government is going about it except their mode of operation and characteristic is studied. They don't have the pedigree to war Nigerians. The government should stop hyping them by saying they are in total war with the Boko Haram. If Boko Haram were courageous, they would have been openly fighting their purported war against their so-called enemies instead of using their armored vehicles to thake photos and videos. Really, it's a total blackmail and coward strategy."

Dr. Peregrino Brimah, curator of the Every Nigerian Do Something movement, has sent us the following message: "We see the media is still distributing fake Shekau video's to scare the public. What do we call this video? Blurry, blue skinny, scratch-bottom Shekau? Media showing these messages only makes Shekau happy, this is what he wants; so this becomes media terrorism. I believe we have more than enough great content in Nigeria than to continue spreading dead or alive, muscular, skinny, broken nose, floating head, blurry or blue Shekau's double's messages."

The mass abduction that shook the world

It would be recalled that in the evening of April 14, Boko Haram gunmen raided the Chibok town in Borno State, taking some 276 young girls aged 16-18 from a local schools' dormitories. Major controversies have accompanied this horrifying case. The exact number of abducted girls, reasons for their abductions, fates and whereabouts of the girls are still a hot topic for the government, the military and ordinary Nigerians.

Some of the girls managed to escape from their captivity and narrated their ordeals, but hundreds still remain in the hands of terrorists.

A wave of demonstrations aimed at drawing attention to the case and urging the authorities to do everything possible to secure the girls' release has engulfed Nigeria and prompted the international society to voice their concerns. The U.S., the UK, China and other countries have pledged their support in finding the girls.

The terrorists had kept mum on the issues up until yesterday, when a new video address by Abubakar Shekau appeared. In the almost hour-long video, he vows to start a war against Nigerian Christians, threatens government officials and claims responsibility for the girls' abduction.

Source: Legit.ng