A Boko Haram Kind of Marriage

Boko Haram is a terrorist organization in North East Nigeria. It is also active in Chad, Niger and Northern Cameroon. The terror group was initially linked to Al Qaeda, but it later expressed support to ISIS. On March 15, 2015, Boko Haram formally pledged allegiance to ISIS. Like its terror counterpart, Boko Haram is also notorious for its acts of brutalities such as kidnappings, beheadings, vandalizing and raping women. Effort of the Nigerian government security forces has not been enough to destroy the terror group. The growing threat posed by Boko Haram in the African region has made the neighboring countries of Chad, Cameroon and Niger to join in a coalition with Nigeria to deal with the terrorists.

On September 2014, Boko Haram swooped down on the town of Bama in Borno State and killed people. Under duress, scores of captured women were then forced into "marriage" by the male terrorist combatants. Only the pregnant women and the elderly were spared from being “married” to the terrorists.

In the month of March 2015, government forces of Nigeria put heavy pressure on the terrorists in Bama who had to flee from the area. The terrorists thought that bringing along their “wives” in their retreat might hinder their movement as they and their “wives” might be separated during encounter with government troops.                                  

The other concern of the terrorist was that their “wives” might remarry capturing soldiers or other infidels. The terrorists then thought that killing their “wives” was a good course of action relative to their concerns. By being killed by their “husbands”, the “wives” would retain their piety by not remarrying infidels. Some of the terrorists were not sold to the idea and fled with their “wives” to the neighboring town of Yobe.

                                                                                                                                                      

With their fanatical religious view, the terrorists believe that by remaining pious their “wives” could get to heaven or paradise after they had killed them. The terrorist husbands could later reunite with their “wives” in paradise if they would subsequently die as martyrs. With these reasons the terrorist could not allow their “wives” to be retaken by male “infidels”.

In Bama, residents tell the government troops of their harrowing experience at the hands of the terrorists. Residents led the troops to a well where the dead bodies of terrorist “wives” were dumped. Other bodies were also thrown away on a River Bama bridge. The people said that the killings began 10 days before Bama was liberated by government forces.