Over the past few days, Nigerian officials have repeatedly declared victory over the Boko Haram militant faction, this time crediting the win to their funding of “vigilante” factions by the government.
The claims of Boko Haram’s “defeat” are nothing new, and for a group that’s only been around since 2001 it has been claimed to have been totally wiped out several times, only to reemerge.
As is so often the case, the group’s reemergence has come quick, with reports in the Borno Province of Boko Haram fighters in army uniforms setting up checkpoints and executing motorists.
At least 19 people have been reported killed in the Borno, and a number of others were apparently set to be executed before reports that the military was approaching the area, leading the fighters to withdraw to another area.
The whole northeast of Nigeria is in a state of emergency, and the military often sets up its own checkpoints on rural roads to try to root out militants, but this seems to be setting up opportunities for Boko Haram to take advantage of that.