2015 NIGERIA ELECTION

Boko Haram Attacks - U.S State Department

news source: Naijalately

As Nigeria election approaches, the U.S state department  said that the factor behind the increase in boko haram attacked in the northern part of Nigeria is the up coming Nigeria February General election.

Maria Harf

The spokeswoman of the u.s state department, Marie Harf encourage that the February general election should go forward despite the boko haram terrorist attacks, which the United Nations and human rights groups say has forced about 20,000 people to flee to neighboring countries in recent weeks.

Harf said Boko Haram previously used events such as elections to stir up tensions. The election is expected to be a close contest between President Goodluck Jonathan and his leading challenger General Muhammadu Buhari.

“Boko Haram has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions,” she said. “We have seen that as one of their tactics and that is why it is so important to move forward with the election, because we believe it’s important.”

Amnesty International has said Boko Haram may have killed some 2,000 people around January 3 in Baga in northern Nigeria. But we do believe the election is a factor  and it is hard to independently verify that figure Harf said .

Asypeters Info House gather that Boko Haram’s insurgency began in 2009, but the number and scale of the attacks has risen sharply since last year.