Boko Haram Terrorist Group Recruits People By Distributing Money After The Military Killed The Members

Illustration of the terrorist group Boko Haram. (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - The terrorist group Boko Haram has taken over many communities in the north-central Nigerian state, offering money to villagers and turning them into groups to fight the government, a government official and the state information commission said.

Boko Haram is usually concentrated in northeastern Nigeria and its presence in Niger, a state bordering the federal capital, could indicate a worrying spread at a time when the military says its counter-insurgency efforts are successful.

Suleiman Chukuba, regional head of the Shiroro government in Niger state, which borders Abuja, said Boko Haram fighters were now present in at least eight wards out of a total of 25.

"The Shiroro local government has countless Boko Haram fighters," Chukuba said.

Boko Haram, whose name roughly translates as 'Western education is forbidden', has been waging an insurgency since 2009, joining recently with its offshoot, ISIS West Africa Province. The fighting has killed nearly 350.000 people and displaced millions, according to UN estimates.

Shiroro has a population of 331.000 people and spans 4.700 square kilometers, according to the official website of the state of Niger.

Niger State Information Commissioner Muhammad Sani Idris confirmed Boko Haram fighters, who were initially thought to be armed bandits, had spread rapidly in the state.

But Idris said the state government and security agencies had been able to suppress its spread.

"We are doing whatever is necessary as a country. And we will combine the methods of our security personnel and our local citizens," he explained.

To note, last month the army said nearly 6.000 fighters from Boko Haram had recently surrendered, attributing the development to the military's counter-insurgency efforts.

Meanwhile, Chukuba asked the federal government for more troops to the area to fight terrorist groups.