Two terrible events occurred in the last month when Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from a government secondary school in the town of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria and when in a 12-hour attack on Gamboru Ngala, the same group slaughtered 300 people. Boko Haram's cruel activities are absolutely un-Islamic. Its methods are similar to those of the Christian sect the Lord's Resistance Army, which terrorized Uganda in the 1990s. Boko Haram killed over 80 schoolchildren in the last ten months, and its campaign to make Nigeria a hardline Islamic state has cost 1,500 lives this year alone, including Muslims and Christians alike. The terrorist group's leader Abu-Bakr Shekau said in a video that he would “sell” the kidnapped girls, but, unfortunately, the response of Nigeria's federal government in Abuja has been sluggish. One clear implication is that corruption and weak public institutions make countries easy targets for determined terrorist groups. It is equally plausible that the Nigerian government is merely being opportunistic and seeking last-minute political gains by playing the victim. However, it should be more alert, and should closely monitor and deal with complaints against its officials with a greater sense of urgency rather than calling upon the US and Britain for help. President Goodluck Jonathan took nearly a fortnight to even acknowledge the abductions, which he eventually did in light of the international outrage when the media condemned the kidnappings. The innocent school girls must be saved and returned to their families. However, before liquidating Boko Haram, it is imperative that its members be taken into custody for interrogation in order to learn who is directing them to follow un-Islamic policies in the name of Islam. Israrul Haque, Jeddah
