strategists and financiers as a possible means of stemming rising
violence in the country.
In an incident Tuesday, police said Boko Haram members killed two
people, including an Islamic cleric, in Nigeria's Borno state.
"The attacks occurred on Monday and the early hours of Tuesday," Borno
state police spokesman Gideon Jibrin said. "The police headquarters
received the reports from the Biu police area commander indicating
that two persons, including an Islamic cleric were killed by unknown
gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram militant Islamic
group."
Jibrin said no arrests have been made.
Human Rights Watch said that since Boko Haram began attacks in 2009
about 1,000 Nigerians have been killed by the group.
Oil-rich Nigeria, Africa's leading energy exporter, has a population
of 150 million roughly equally divided among Christians, in the south,
and Muslims, who primarily inhabit the north of the country.
The government appears to planning a different tack to fight the group, however.
"The focus of the search is gradually shifting from the (Boko Haram)
sect's foot soldiers, who merely go on suicide missions to the
financiers, intelligence class and those who indoctrinate the
bomb-throwers," a "reliable government source" told Nigerian newspaper
Vanguard.
"The sect has come to realize that the government is fully aware of
what it is doing and that is why they have soft-pedaled. The heat is
more than what the sect can take," the report said.
The government's action follows criticism that Nigerian President
Goodluck Jonathan's anti-terrorism strategy has ignored the role of
financiers of Boko Haram that has killed hundreds of civilians.
Leading Anglican Church Bishop James Oladunjoye warned that if Boko
Haram's sponsors weren't brought to justice, the group would continue
to pose a serious threat to the government.
"The sponsors of this sect are well known to those in government
especially the president," Oladunjoye said in July. "Sponsors of Boko
Haram are no longer in government or the corridors of power, which
they believe is their birthright. They are those that have been pushed
away from controlling the national cake."
Last week, prominent northern Nigerian Muslim leader Junaid Mohammed
told Vanguard: "As far as I am concerned, Boko Haram is a terrorist
group. It has nothing to do with Islam or Christianity. Let those who
are ignorant stop associating it with any religion and face the
reality on the ground."
Oodua People's Congress opposition leader Frederick Fasehun said
officials have to look at additional possibilities to stop Boko Haram.
"I personally think the Boko Haram affair might go on for some time
because we seem to be looking at the wrong direction," Fasehun said.
"Even if you want to dialogue with Boko Haram, you have to dialogue
with their sponsors and I personally don't think the sponsors of Boko
Haram are local. The sponsors of Boko Haram are probably foreigners
and we are not looking at the foreign aspect of the Boko Haram issue.
"That is one fact that people should notice and notice urgently."
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