Nigeria coming at center of plans by terrorist groups

Mohamed Abdelghaffar

Nigeria, a resource-rich African country, suffers from growing violence and terrorism.

Different terrorist organizations have managed to gain a foothold in the country, including al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Dangerous than the coronavirus

ISIS is present in different areas in Nigeria. It bankrolls its activities by stealing locals in the areas it controls. It also kills those who oppose it.

An attack by ISIS on June 11 left 81 Nigerians dead, according to the Washington Times.

The newspaper said this is even larger than the death toll from the coronavirus in the African country.

The attack took place in a village in the northeastern part of Nigeria.

The Washington Times said ISIS staged the attack when it tried to steal the properties and the money of the residents of the village.

Multiple attacks

ISIS staged a large number of attacks in Nigeria. In July 2019, ISIS militants attacked a funeral procession in eastern Nigeria, killing 65 mourners. The United Nations denounced the operation.

Boko Haram also staged a series of attacks in the country. The terrorist organization killed over 373 people in the attacks it launched in different parts of Nigeria, according to a recent survey.

Terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria left over 10,000 people dead since 2011, according to the International Crisis Group.

It said the same attacks had caused the displacement of over 200,000 people in the Sahel and Lake Chad regions.

Rivalry

Terrorist organizations usually clash over influence and control in the same regions. In January 2020, clashes erupted between rival groups in northeastern Nigeria over control in some parts of the country.

Terrorists affiliated to Boko Haram attacked an ISIS camp, after arriving in an area in the northeastern part of Nigeria in a pickup car.