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Ahmad Salkida reveals Boko Haram ideology and motivating force, recruitment and the mandate



Nigeria’s Boko Haram: Why They Fight and Some Recommendations for Quelling Their Insurgency.

This article is based on the insights shared by Ahmad Salkida, a journalist and respected source on Boko Haram, in a twitter session which sought to shed light on the salient question #WhatDoesBHwant.

In a twitter session with the public on Saturday the 1st of November, Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida on Twitter), a Nigerian journalist and a respected source on Boko Haram, shared his insights on the nature of the terrorist group and the danger they pose to Nigerian society and state. In an hour-long discussion, tagged #WhatDoesBHwant, he covered topics ranging from the group’s ideology and their sources of funding, to the prospects of a negotiated settlement. His remarks also have policy implications for containing and eventually quelling the insurgency, which I will comment on.

Salkida’s tweets were both fascinating, for the insights they yielded on Boko Haram, and extremely disconcerting, for the picture they painted of a fanatically determined group committed to their cause and now with possible links to the “Islamic State” Group in the middle east.

Below, I have embedded the tweets which I feel capture the essentials of the discussion, and my remarks and analysis.

Salkida’s Tweets; My Remarks and Analysis

The nature of Salkida’s links to Boko Haram (BH)

On his access to BH’s leadership and how his contacts with the group came about:

Note: Yusuf refers to Mohammed Yusuf, Boko Haram’s first leader who was extra-judicially executed by the Police during a military crackdown on the group in July 2009.


My links to BH can be categories into two: (1) Is that of a decade-long source and a persistent reporter #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


(2) Pre- ’09 BH I was close to late Yusuf on account of my reports & he showed tremendous respect for me b4 his follower’s #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

On why he is unable to lead his sources in BH to the Nigerian Army (NA) and the intelligence services.


FAQ: lead d NA to ur sources? First of all, they r d ones thy contact me & not other way round, I don’t know where they live #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


The principle of journalistic privilege is a key pillar of press freedom thoe this right is not absolute & I’v neva abusd it #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

BH’s Ideology

This topic dominated Salkida’s remarks. For good reason. Understanding the nature of BH’s ideology, yields a better understanding of what they want, why they fight so tenaciously in pursuit of their stated goals, and the magnitude of the threat they pose to our body-politic. A prominent theme coursing through Salkida’s statements is the image of Boko Haram as a group with an ideological programme to which they are fanatically committed to and are determined to implement.

Given the importance of this sub-section, I will punctuate the tweets with commentary and give a brief analysis of the embedded group of tweets based on the insights I drew from them and how I understood the essential message they sought to convey at the end of the sub-section.

On BH’s beliefs Salkida tells us:

Note: 'Taghut' means idolatry/To worship anything other than God; 'Kufr' means disbelievers/deniers of truth.


The central theme of BH ideology is to reject & dissociate oneself in d belief of all forms of deities 1/3 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Taghut to them r persons or institutions that aid d Constitution & Western educatn that lay d foundation for secularism 2/3 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


They indoctrinate sect mmbrs to hate even their own parents, brothers etc if they r associated wt ‘Kufr’ 3(denial of truth) #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

He further informs us that:

Note: Shekau refers to Abubakar Shekau, BH’s current leader.


[i]The BH that kidnaped girls & on rampage have nothing to do wt our local politics, they r inclined to global ‘Jihad’ movement #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Athari - Shekau’s interest pre- '09 is a creed/movement of traditionalist Islamic scholars who reject Islamic ‘theology’ 2/3 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


in favour of strict textualism in interpreting Qur’an & Hadith. To engage in rational disputation is forbidden. 3/3 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


To BH, d validity of human reason is severely limited & rational proofs can neither be trusted nor relied upon #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

In addition to favouring a strict and unquestioning adherence to the literal meanings of the Qur’an and a rejection of rational discussion and debate of religious injunctions, BH also shares some Salafi ideology. The belief that Islam has become corrupted over time; to purify the religion, Muslims should return to the practices and interpretations of the religion’s formative years in the 7th century:


BH believe they r Sunni Islam, they want to return ‘Islam’ to what they view as d interpretation of first generation Muslims #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014[/i]

On how BH views Muslims that do not share their narrow and heterodox interpretations of religious tenets; and on how the group treats agents and employees of the State who they see as the upholders of a secular order.


BH do not see me & othrs as Muslims because of our inclination to western schools & civil obedience based on d constitution #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Teachers & students r killed bcz they r seen by d sect as laying d foundation for secular way of life #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Security agents r ‘Taghut’ (Idols) by BH & r killed whether Muslims or not, even a negotiator has no life guarantee #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Unsurprisingly BH rejects the appropriateness of seeking redress in secular institutions, and of Muslim integration into the social life of secular States, as forms of idolatry.


Anybody that says BH want ppl prosecuted or immunity is an imposter bcz BH believe our courts r all forms of Taghut #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


When moderates argue that Muslims can join politics, schls, civil service etc to be able to compete, BH argues to d contrary #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Their grouse is wt d institutn of democracy & our way of life. To BH, both supporters & secular institutns must be destroyed #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

On the group’s violently dogmatic nature:


BH wants to implement their brand of Sharia. Muslims, Christians or Atheists who oppose their doctrine will be attacked #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Indicative of the consistency of BH’s ideological hostility to secular institutions over time, Salkida briefly narrates his encounter with Mohammed Yusuf, BH’s first leader, in 2006 – a period before the group’s metamorphosis into the armed insurgents we know today:


In 2006 late Yusuf personally handed me a press release that stated, Islam permits them to subsist under a modern govt 1/2 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


but has explicitly prohibited them frm supporting such govts as far as their structures contradict core Islamic beliefs.2/2 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Emphasising the role of ideology as the primary driver of BH’s violent activities, reducing poor economic conditions as only incidental or secondary drivers, and situating the group’s ideologically driven violence within a rising tide of global ‘Jihadist awakening’ (if I can call it that), Salkida says:


Many have suggested BH was d offshoot of growing unemployment. Clearly, there’s huge & frightening degree of unemployment #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


but d fuse that drives BH terror is wt d sect’s doctrinaire. What we r dealing wt is a growing global ‘Muslim’ ideologue #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Brief Analysis

From the above it seems to me that BH’s ideology rests on three pillars: (1) A strict adherence to the literal interpretation of, and a rejection of rational debate regarding, religious injunctions; (2) A belief that Islam has been corrupted by modernity and thus must be returned to what they see as the pure ideals prevalent during the religion’s formative years; and (3) A belief that only a Shari’ah system can restore the pure, unadulterated, Islam practiced in the distant past.

The consequence of these is a rejection of anything other than a Shari’ah social and political order as idolatry that must be resisted and replaced, with armed force if necessary. It also informs BH’s violent opposition to all, Muslim or not, they see as not sharing their narrow ideological beliefs and therefore as upholders of a secular order. It also indicates that the name given to them by their detractors, Boko Haram (Western Education as the most often heard translation goes), does not sufficiently capture the breadth of the group’s ideological beliefs, instead reducing it to a single issue:


The name BH emanated frm Bauchi in ’09 & has reduced d scope of d BH ideology to only mean they forbid Western education #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

I can only infer that their aggressive and violent attitude to secular education is informed by its role as the process through which western values and ideas about government are transmitted into society. In other words they see secular education as the chief carrier of western values and ideas; values and ideas they see as promoting idolatry.

Appreciating the fundamental importance of BH’s ideology (however nihilistic we find it) in explaining why they have been so vicious and tenacious opens the door to grasping at an answer to the salient question #WhatDoesBHwant.

What Does Boko Haram Want?

It seems to me, from Salkida’s statements, the answer to this question has been an ever present goal for the group, even before their metamorphosis to violent insurgents; and it is what presently guides their brutal actions. So what does BH want to achieve? Why do they fight? The answer: To acquire a sovereign State of their own (Daulat), forcibly carved out of Nigeria, within which they can implement their brand of Sharia’ah:


Yusuf had never hide d desire of BH to carryout Jihad & ultimately secure Daula(State), d dream of every 'Jihadi’ movemnts #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


BH have moved frm a Jihadi group like Al-Qaida to a Daula. They bliv it is Allah that gave them conquest, so no compromise #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Daula to them henceforth is conquering territory, town after towns, no retreat even if d last person will die. #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Appreciating the importance of ideology and the desire for sovereign Statehood as the main drivers of BH’s actions should incidentally dispel some of the myths surrounding the group – the most pernicious of which is their alleged links to Nigeria’s governing elites.

On BH’s Political Links

One of the more destructive myths paralysing an effective and united response to the BH menace has been the often repeated, but unsubstantiated claim, that BH has links, and according to some is directly controlled, by powerful elements in Nigerian society. Some around the President, and amongst the southern elites, are known to view the crisis in the northeast as a calculated attempt by disgruntled northern elites to destroy his administration and reclaim power for themselves. Some amongst the northern elites similarly view BH’s seemingly unstoppable rampage in their region as a calculated attempt by the President to enfeeble the region’s political power.

If Salkida’s tweets are anything to go by, it should become quite clear to anyone that reads them that BH are their own agents, pursuing their own agenda. To the extent that there are any links it only manifests itself with individuals who have grown rich as a result of access to security contracts, or as a result of political violence being displaced onto BH:

Note: FG refers to Federal Government.


Apparently there could be d political Boko Haram that uses d name of d group to carry out assassinations of some opponent’s #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Again, there r some politicians & security contractors both in d North & South that have grown tall on d crest of BH crisis. #WhatdoeBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


But d political BH or criminal elements cannot blowup themselves, they r not capturing territories, they r in d minority #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Politicians r not involved in d ideological BH that r responsible for about 90% of d violence in Nigeria & Cameroun #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


The FG's only crime here in my opinion is how they have so far mismanaged d crisis #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Reinforcing the point that BH are their own agents, pursuing their own ideological agenda, Salkida further tell us:

Note: The Sultan of Sokoto is regarded as the spiritual leader of Nigeria’s Muslims.


If by tmrw d Sultan of Sokoto becomes Nigeria’s leader & every Christian convert to Islam, BH will continue their onslaught #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

On loyalty in BH

Note: Ansaru refers to a breakaway militant group which has since been reincorporated back into BH’s fold.


From 2012 to date BH have killed & beheaded even their members & Ansaru for breaching Bai’a (pledge) to Shekau, ½#WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


They rely on a Hadith of Abu Hurairah that forbids them to disregard one’s Bai’a to an Imam. 2/2 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

On BH’s sources of funding

The embedded tweets in this sub-section should disabuse anyone of the notion that BH is dependent on shadowy elements within Nigeria’s governing elites for sustenance:


BH got its major initial funding frm what they call ‘Fai’u’ robbery. Btw 2010/12 over 500M naia was carted away frm banks #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


BH r also engaged in 'extortion,' small scale & high profile kidnapping, and ransom is their biggest war chest #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Noncombatant or inactive members also contribute proceeds from their businesses from all over Africa #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Contributions also come from like-minded Jihadi groups frm like AQM & frm other groups around d world #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

On sources of BH’s weapons

A large chunk of their weapons & other hardware r seized frm Cameroun security forces but in most cases from d Nigerian Army #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

A January 2012 UN report also suggested that the cache of weapons which flowed out of Libya in the wake of the collapse of Gaddafi’s regime could have also reached BH, thereby boosting their capabilities.

I found his remarks of this issue the most disconcerting of his tweets. Whilst the twitter handle @MrAyeDee has long suggested that there are IS “advisers” present on ground with BH, and whilst this fact is now slowly percolating into mainstream news reports, the realisation that Nigeria’s battlefield could possibly evolve to become the next choice destination for foreign jihadists that can’t make it to the Levant was the most worrying revelation to me:


I'm afraid, this crisis may go out of control. Sources say IS has sent envoys to examine BH, "if they have an agreement 1/2 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


we r likely going to see IS asking Jihadists that cannot travel to Iraq/Syria to go to Nigeria & Libya to fight" 2/2 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Policy Recommendations

Salkida’s series of tweets during the #WhatDoesBHwant discussion were fascinating not only for the insights yielded, but also for the policy recommendations that could be gleaned from them.

Military equipment that cannot be evacuated with a retreating unit should be destroyed: First and foremost, it should now be an absolute requirement for military commanders to order the destruction of all military materiel that cannot be evacuated when a town or military installation is about to fall to advancing insurgents. Nigeria cannot be enemy and quartermaster to BH at the same time. The fall of Mubi town and BH’s reported capture of intact and voluminous military supplies can only constitute a boost to BH’s war-fighting capacities.


Today my sources told me that d money, resources, food & military hardware they got frm #Mubi can sustain their war for 1yr #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Any military commander who abandons his position without seeing to it that at the very least war materiel has been destroyed or rendered inoperable should be court-martialled for extending material help to the enemy.

Morale should be rebuilt: Morale in the army, particularly amongst the frontline troops, has been shot to pieces. The combination poor service condition, endemic corruption which often sees soldier’s benefits paid late and incomplete, poor weaponry, and having to do battle in such dreadful conditions against a fanatical and bloodthirsty foe will negatively affect the morale of any military force. It has certainly seems to have negatively affected sections of Nigeria’s frontline troops:


Fear is a uniquely & effectiv weapon for BH, their rhetoric’s currently outstrips their capabilitis & it has affected d army #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

There are many simple and immediately implementable steps that can be taken to rebuild morale. For example, soldiers’ benefits and salaries should be paid promptly and should be complete. It is a scandal that this should even be an issue at a time of war. A special class of Military Medals for this war, with substantial monetary rewards tied to them, can be created to be awarded for acts of heroism above and beyond the call of duty. Fallen soldiers should be buried publically and in a solemn occasion that should be televised, to generate sympathy for the enormous sacrifices of the armed forces and also sympathy for those families that have given their sons and daughters to die for the country. There are many other such relatively easily implementable morale boosting policies that can be adopted.

Human Rights abuses by the Military should be curbed: There is no denying the fact that BH is a brutal and savage organisation. What is now also beyond doubt is the fact that the army has sometimes conducted this war against the civilian population of the northeast with an unbridled savagery that equals that of BH. The many human rights reports and examples are too numerous to be recounted here. In any case they can be easily googled. It goes without saying that a military that does not have the support and respect of the civilian population it is meant to defend will find it difficult to win the war it is tasked with fighting.


We can only fight with a professional army that is accountable and respect those they are defending #WhatDoesBHWant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

The military’s impunity and human rights abuses must be curbed. BH’s ongoing transition into Statehood and governance should give us all pause for thought. We must now recognise the fact that BH is now a competitor for the hearts and minds of the population of that part of Nigeria. Whether the group becomes a credible competitor very much depends on how Nigeria treats its civilian population in the war affected areas.

Additionally, it also means that governance in Nigeria must be improved if it is to maintain its current legitimacy advantage over BH. Despite governance in Nigeria having been truly spectacularly poor since independence. The only unassailable advantage Nigeria presently has over BH is the fact that the group appears to be a brutish and savage alternative to what Nigeria offers. Should BH sustain its transition and reduce its savagery, this advantage will evaporate – especially in the war affected areas.

Negotiations can only be tactical. Any long-term strategy for quelling this insurgency must hinge on militarily subduing BH: Anyone who appreciates the ideological driver of BH’s actions, and the group’s cardinal objective of securing sovereign Statehood within which they can implement their ideology, fully understands that only blows will decide how this crisis is settled. Any policy of economic regeneration for war affected areas is of course instrumental for draining the pool from which BH recruits, but ultimately the core of the group itself can only be subdued through military force. If Nigeria is interested in ever reclaiming its sovereign territory, it must be prepared to fight for it:


The chances of BH agreeing to a ceasefire/retreat frm captured territories thru peaceful means as recently announced is 1/10 #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


BH believes that their "success" is built wt d blood/Shahada of their brethren & many prefer to die in war than in peacetime #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

On tactical negotiations

From Salkida’s tweets, it seems there are still possibilities for entering into tactical negotiations with BH – particularly for the return of the abducted Chibok girls. Such tactical negotiations could be based on a “swap arrangement” – with BH returning the girls in return for his own members in detention. But even here it seems, the importance of gaining the upper hand militarily before entering into negotiations is absolutely critical if Nigerian negotiators hope to even open discussions with the group:


The decision to free captives is, if they prefer to leave & if Shekau is satisfied wt d number of prisoners to be swapped #WhatDoesBHWant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Shekau value his membrs in detentn probably more than d girls, so chances r he can let them go esp if d girls want 2 return #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


Captives can be released based on a swap arrangement but for d FG to get BH to dialogue they have to change d tide #WhatdoesBHwant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014


As long BH makes sustain territorial gains, they will determine the course of any negotiation. #WhatDoesBHWant
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) November 1, 2014

Nigeria is the only country we have. Ignorance regarding the nature and magnitude of this existential threat crippling a sizable section of our country is not an excuse!