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85–552PDF 2014

THE CONTINUING THREAT OF BOKO HARAM

JOINT HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH, 

GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND 

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

AND THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM, 

NONPROLIFERATION, AND TRADE

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

NOVEMBER 13, 2013

Serial No. 113–114

Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/ or

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

(II)

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

MATT SALMON, Arizona 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

TOM COTTON, Arkansas 

PAUL COOK, California 

GEORGE HOLDING, North Carolina 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

TREY RADEL, Florida 

DOUG COLLINS, Georgia 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

LUKE MESSER, Indiana 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

BRIAN HIGGINS, New York 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

ALAN GRAYSON, Florida 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

AMI BERA, California 

ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California 

GRACE MENG, New York 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

(III)

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, Chairman 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

RANDY K. WEBER SR., Texas 

STEVE STOCKMAN, Texas 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

KAREN BASS, California 

DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

AMI BERA, California

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM, NONPROLIFERATION, AND TRADE

TED POE, Texas, Chairman 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

TOM COTTON, Arkansas 

PAUL COOK, California 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

ALAN S. LOWENTHAL, California 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

BRADLEY S. SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

JOSEPH P. KENNEDY III, Massachusetts 

(V)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

WITNESSES 

The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. Department of State ............................................................... 7

Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, managing partner, U.S.-Nigeria Law Group .................. 27

Mr. Habila Adamu, survivor of violence by Boko Haram .................................... 47

Mr. Jacob Zenn, research analyst, The Jamestown Foundation ......................... 55

Guy Nkem Nzeribe, Ph.D., partner, Guy Nzeribe Associates .............................. 64

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING 

The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Prepared statement .......................... 10

Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe: Prepared statement .......................................................... 32

Mr. Habila Adamu: Prepared statement ............................................................... 49

Mr. Jacob Zenn: Prepared statement ..................................................................... 57

APPENDIX 

Hearing notice .......................................................................................................... 78

Hearing minutes ...................................................................................................... 79

(1)

THE CONTINUING THREAT OF BOKO HARAM 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2013

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON AFRICA, GLOBAL HEALTH,

GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TERRORISM, NONPROLIFERATION, AND TRADE,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The subcommittees met, pursuant to notice, at 1 o’clock p.m., in 

room 2200 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H. 

Smith (chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, 

Global Human Rights, and International Organizations) presiding. 

Mr. SMITH. The hearing will come to order and good afternoon 

to everybody. Today’s is a joint hearing of our subcommittees and 

I thank Chairman Poe for working so well with our subcommittee. 

This is of combined interest to the terrorism and of course, the Africa subcommittee. 

Let me begin with my opening comments and then we will go to 

my distinguished colleagues and then, of course, to you, Madam Assistant Secretary. 

Nigeria is one of the United States’ main Africa trading partners 

and good friend, ally, and a major economic and political force beyond, even the African continent. Unfortunately, it continues to be 

plauged by terrorist forces whose reach extends beyond the borders 

of that country. Today’s hearing is intended to examine the extent 

to which the organization known as Boko Haram and its affiliates 

pose a threat to Nigeria, and the region, as well as the United 

States and the rest of the international community. 

Boko Haram is a Nigerian terrorist organization whose full name 

in Arabic means ‘‘People Committed to the Propagation of the 

Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad.’’ The name Boko Haram is a translation meaning that conventional education, Boko, is forbidden. Because of its repeated attacks against Christian targets, especially 

holy days such as Christmas and Easter. Boko Haram is seen by 

some as principally anti-Christian. In the last year alone, Boko 

Haram terrorists are believed to have killed some 1,200 Christians 

in Nigeria. In fact, it is estimated that 60 percent of Christians 

killed worldwide because of religious intolerance die in Nigeria. 

According to Mr. Emmanuel Obege, one of our witnesses who will 

be testifying shortly, 53 Christian churches have been attacked and 

216 people have been murdered by terrorists in those churches. 

However, it would not be a completely accurate interpretation of 

the facts to assume that what is happening in Nigeria is just a 

2

Muslim-Christian conflict. In the past 2 years, both of our subcommittees have sent staff delegations to investigate the Boko 

Haram threat. 

And this past September, Gregory Simpkins, our subcommittee 

staff director, and I visited Abuja and Jos to further look into this 

matter. We found that the truth of this organization is much more 

complex than is widely understood. Although exact numbers were 

not made available to us, Boko Haram is definitely targeting other 

Muslims who don’t agree with their views. Muslim pastors who 

criticized the terrorists’ violence are themselves made targets. We 

were told by some that if an imam or some teacher in a mosque 

speaks out against Boko Haram on a Friday, he will be targeted 

for death on Saturday. What must be prevented in a growing inability for Christians and Muslims to work together to meet their 

common threat. And we found enormous examples, numerous examples I should say, of cooperation between Christian and Muslim 

leaders to combat this killing spree by Boko Haram. 

According to various reports, Boko Haram began in 2003, when 

about 200 university students and unemployed youth created a 

camp in Yobe State near the Niger border to withdraw from what 

they considered the corrupt, simple, and unjust Nigerian Government and their community was supposedly founded on Islamic law. 

The group was also known by the nickname the ‘‘Nigerian 

Taliban.’’ Violent clashes with Nigerian security forces destroyed 

the group several times, but its charismatic leader, Mohammed 

Yusuf, kept the group alive until his death while in police custody 

in July 2009. Since Yusuf’s death, there have been various spokesmen, but one person who is believed to be the nominal leader, 

Abubakar Shekau. Further, a breakaway group known as Ansaru, 

has appeared on the scene. 

The proliferation of voices speaking for Boko Haram and the new 

faction leads some to believe that this is not a coherent organization. We learned that it is actually a very sophisticated organization, operating in cells disconnected from each other, but coordinating at a high level. While there are some acting in the name 

of Boko Haram for their own purposes, this terrorist group is organized, albeit in an unconventional manner. 

Some also believe that this group is purely a domestic terrorist 

group operating in Nigeria. We found that to be a false assumption 

as well. Boko Haram and Ansaru do wage attacks on the Nigerian 

Government and other domestic targets. Nevertheless, their actions 

prove their participation in the global jihad movement that wages 

violent war worldwide to establish their skewed version of Islam as 

the prevailing religion globally. Various actions such as the bombing of the United Nations office in Abuja in August 2011, and numerous statements from Boko Haram’s spokesmen indicate their 

international intent. This international focus has been confirmed 

by both American and Nigerian intelligence information. 

The three criteria for an organization to be declared a foreign 

terrorist organization by the U.S. Government are (1) it must be 

a foreign organization; (2) engage in terrorist activity; (3) it must 

threaten the security of the United States nationals, U.S. national 

security, or the economic interests of the United States. Clearly, 

3

Boko Haram/Ansaru meets that test and we do welcome the news 

that was announced earlier today. 

I have introduced HR 3209 which urged the administration to declare Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization. This measure 

would provide tools for stopping those who currently provide funding for others in their murderous, terrorist organizations that they 

run. And again, we welcome the State Department’s statement 

today that they will declare Boko Haram an FTO. 

Our Government has provided training and other assistance to 

the Nigerian Government to battle this terrorist threat. Unfortunately, the past brutally demonstrated by the Nigerian security 

forces, as well as the inability of Nigerian security forces to collaborate with one another, have prevented their effort from being as 

successful as it should be. In far too many cases, the Nigerian Government itself has actually turned local people in the North against 

its effort to win the terrorist threat. By that ineffectiveness, the Nigerian security forces have pushed Nigerian Christians and Muslims to form their own militias to protect themselves from terrorists and each other. In the long run, this development makes eventual reconciliation of Nigeria’s various religious and ethnic communities even more difficult. 

We have with us today the administration’s point person for our 

Government’s effort to help end the terrorist threats to Nigeria; a 

leading Nigerian spokesman against this terrorism; a Nigerian 

Christian expert on this terrorist threat; and an American-based 

expert on this violence; and a survivor of the Boko Haram threat 

that Greg and I met when we were in Jos. This survivor, Mr. 

Adamu, was challenged to renounce his Christian faith. When he 

refused, he was shot right through the mouth, right through the 

lower part of his face and left for dead, bleeding. Miraculously, he 

survived and joins us today, one of the most inspiring examples of 

faith because he was told ‘‘renounce your faith and you will live, 

if you don’t, you will die.’’ And so a man that has unbelievable 

courage as well as faith. He says, ‘‘I have a message to everyone 

that will hear my story. Do everything that you can to end this 

ruthless religious persecution in northern Nigeria.’’

I now would like to yield to Ms. Bass for any opening comments 

she may have. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Chairman Poe and Ranking Member Sherman. I want to thank you for your leadership in 

calling today’s hearing and I want to extend my greetings and welcome to the Assistant Secretary. I believe this is your first time you 

are coming to testify in your current capacity, but we will give you 

a more proper welcome next week, so welcome. 

Nigeria is a critical, strategic partner for the United States. As 

Africa’s most populous nation and with an economy that has the 

potential to be the largest on the continent, it is important politically, economically, and socially. Its importance cannot be overstated. 

We know that this is the reason for the hearing today in focusing 

on Boko Haram. There is no question that Boko Haram presents 

an important and critical security challenge for Nigeria, West Africa, and I believe the continent as a whole. The frequency of atVerDate 0ct 09 2002 12:38 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_AGH\131113\85552 SHIRL
4

tacks, its reach and the brutality and the lethal dimension of those 

attacks are a serious problem that must be addressed. 

Since 2010, the scale of attacks by Boko Haram have led to the 

deaths of nearly 4,000 people including children. The group has 

used car bombs, improvised explosive devices, and suicide attacks 

to exact a heavy and unforgiving toll on the Nigerian people. Boko 

Haram has attacked churches, schools, police stations, and places 

where civilians are known to frequent including bars and markets. 

While Boko Haram’s attacks can in no way be justified, we do 

know that their long-standing grievances that may be leading to 

young men being recruited into their ranks. The slow pace of development in Nigeria’s north including that of infrastructure development, jobs, and greater investments in the region, have if not a direct result, may be at least partially to blame. We have seen similar frustrations across the continent, particularly in Somalia where 

large numbers of young people, desperate for opportunities have 

found negative outlets like al-Shabaab. 

As the Nigerian Government has rightly moved to address the 

internal threat of Boko Haram, the international community has 

been critical over concerns over human rights abuses. While civilians have not been the target of efforts to fight Boko Haram, civilians have nonetheless been caught in the violent middle ground. 

I want to conclude by saying that I am keenly aware of the various sides that seek a greater and more executing response by our 

Government. As the Assistant Secretary will share, I know we continue to consult with Nigerian authorities on a range of efforts to 

ensure that Boko Haram, its leaders and fighters are held accountable for past, and any future attempts to destabilize the Nigerian 

Government and its brazen attacks on civilians. And in this, we 

look forward for all and new opportunities to stop Boko Haram 

from further expansion and further violence. 

Thank you, and I look forward to the hearing. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you, Ms. Bass. I would like to now yield to the 

co-chairman of this hearing, the chairman of the Subcommittee on 

Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, the distinguished gentleman from Texas, Mr. Poe. 

Mr. POE. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Boko Haram is a 

vicious terrorist group that carries out daily attacks against the Nigerian people. They target Christians, moderate Muslims as well. 

They kill in the name of religion. They promote anarchy. 

This past summer, I sent my staff to Nigeria in early August to 

get a sense of the situation on the ground. What they found was 

alarming, sobering, and inhumane. Boko Haram finds it roots in 

the keenly conservative north of Nigeria. After its leader was killed 

in 2009, Boko went underground, but they emerged in 2010 as a 

more radical and violent group led by a vicious killer named 

Shekau. They attacked Christians on Christmas Day 2010, Christmas Day 2011, Christmas in 2012. Eighty-six people were killed on 

2010; 42 in 2011; and 12 on 2012. 

Mass beheadings, child soldiers, and forced marriages of local 

women to Boko Haram members are now more commonplace. Boko 

Haram’s mystique is furthered by social media users who spread 

their propaganda statements among jihadists wannabes and people 

who just want to kill other people. The group was responsible for 

5

a 2010 prison break that freed 700 prisoners and a bombing of the 

city of Jos that killed more than 80 people. In 2011, Boko bombed 

a police headquarters in the Nigerian capital of Abuja and carried 

out a massive suicide attack against the U.N. headquarters there. 

This year, just a few weeks ago on September 29th, it targeted 

an agricultural college and killed 40 students in a dormitory. Some 

say that the Nigerian military’s heavy-handed response simply 

adds fuel to the fire of Boko Haram’s recruitment. Everyone agrees 

that corruption does hamper the military’s efforts. It means that 

the general population is frustrated that they do not receive basic 

services like education and healthcare. It also means that the economy in many parts of the country is not doing well because there 

are not enough basic infrastructure like roads and schools. And 

that makes recruitment for Boko Haram even easier. 

When it comes to fighting the Boko Haram, the military is corrupt and there is no money left over to pay the salaries of the soldiers that actually do the fighting. In addition to Boko Haram, Nigeria also has a more extremist offshoot terrorist group called 

Ansaru. This group is closely allied to al-Qaeda and may seek to 

strike targets outside of Nigeria’s borders. Boko Haram has embraced international jihad with its attacks on the U.N. and Abuja. 

In 2011, the former commander of the U.S. Africa Command said 

that Boko Haram was in contact with AQIM and al-Shabaab. We 

ought to be on the lookout for increasing international agenda for 

this terrorist organization. Boko fighters go to Mali and Cameroon 

to train and get weapons and munitions. As a result of pressure 

from the military, reports show that the terrorist group may be 

spreading in small numbers to economic centers in the south. Boko 

Haram sustains itself, finances its killings by kidnapping for ransom, extortion, taxation, protection rackets, smuggling, and any 

type of criminal enterprise that they can think of. Boko Haram 

isn’t rolling in dough, but it doesn’t take that much money to wage 

an insurgency. This is one of the reasons why I support the State 

Department’s designation today of Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organization. It is long overdue. We need to apply all the 

tools that we have to stop these terrorists. Now that Boko Haram 

has been designated, we need to uncover their financial operations 

and force this designation and go after these outlaws. 

We look forward to the hearing from our witnesses on the threat 

from Boko Haram. I yield back. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you, Chairman Poe. Ranking Member Sherman. 

Mr. SHERMAN. Thank you for holding this hearing. I have been 

told Boko Haram means ‘‘Western education is sinful’’ in the Hausa 

language. That may differ a little bit from the linguist derivation 

provided by the gentleman from New Jersey, so our witness will 

tell us the linguistic derivation. But in any case, it is an Islamist 

group based in northeast Nigeria that seeks to establish Sharia 

law. 

Over the past decade, Boko Haram has killed thousands, attacking Christians, bombing churches, attacking schools, police stations, and attacking other Muslims as well. The State Department has offered a $7 million reward for the 

capture of one of Boko Haram’s top leaders. This is a reprehensible 

6

organization that has attacked Christians during Christmas, at 

Easter; attacked Muslims who do not join in their bloody philosophy. 

Now conflicts between Christians and Muslims of Nigeria are not 

new and preceded the creation of Boko Haram. Even the 1960s 

Civil War involving the attempt to create an independent Biafra 

stem in part from the way Christians were treated, particularly, 

Ibo traders were treated in northern Nigeria. 

In more recent decades, Islamic groups have grown, especially in 

the north. Since the death of Mohammed Yusuf in 2009, the charismatic leader of Boko Haram, the group has split. Another group, 

Ansaru, announced its existence in 2012. The two groups are described as loosely coordinating under a joint council. I want to commend the State Department for classifying both Boko Haram and 

Ansaru as terrorist organizations. That is to say adding them to 

the list of the foreign terrorist organizations under—and also as especially designated global terrorists. 

In September 2011, then commander of AFRICOM, General Ham 

stated that three African terrorist organizations, Shabaab in Somalia, al-Qaeda, Islamic Maghreb across the Sahel, and Boko Haram 

have explicitly and publicly voiced an intent to target Westerners 

and especially the United States. 

Now I am going to drift a little bit from the exact subject here 

because our entire national security establishment has picked up 

a new phrase, pivot toward Asia, which sounds like it is going to 

mean more trade delegations to Tokyo and more Chinese language 

courses in our universities. But what I fear it really means is deciding that the fight with Islamist extremists in Africa and the 

Middle East is either over or is inconvenient. And redirecting all 

of our national security efforts toward confronting China in the 

South China Sea. Already, the Pentagon is shifting is research proposals. They are only interested in research that will help them 

shoot down Chinese planes or sink Chinese aircraft carriers. 

Islamic extremism and the problems in North Africa and West 

Asia and all of Africa and the Middle East cannot be ignored just 

because there is a dispute over some islands off the coast of China. 

And pivoting toward Asia sounds to be like trying to find a higher 

technology, more conventional foe for a national security establishment that is frustrated by the difficulties of dealing with opponents 

that do not wear uniforms. It is time for us to pivot toward Africa, 

the Middle East and West and South Asia where Islamic extremism still poses a threat to the United States, notwithstanding bin 

Laden, and I yield back. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to now welcome our distinguished Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, just 

briefly, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is a member of the career 

Foreign Service and was sworn in on August 6, 2013 as Assistant 

Secretary for African Affairs. Prior to assuming her current position, as Director General she ran or led a team of about 400 employees who carried out personnel functions for the State Department’s 60,000 strong work force. Since beginning her Foreign Service career in 1982, she has risen through the ranks to the minister 

consular level. Overseas, she has served in Jamaica, Nigeria, The 

Gambia, Kenya, Pakistan and at the U.S. Mission to the U.N. And 

7

as a matter of fact, we were just reminiscing, of course, I met the 

Ambassador there when we were working on refugee issues and 

she walked point on those issues so much so that in 2000, she got 

the Warren Christopher Award for Outstanding Achievement in 

Global Affairs in recognition of her work on behalf of refugees. She 

also served as Ambassador to Liberia where she served from 2008 

to 2012. 

Madam Ambassador, the floor is yours. 

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE LINDA THOMAS–GREENFIELD, ASSISTANT SECRETARY, BUREAU OF AFRICAN AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you very much. Chairman Smith, Chairman Poe, Ranking Member Bass, Ranking Member Sherman, other members of the committee, let me thank you 

for this opportunity to update you about our policy in Nigeria and 

specifically on our efforts to help Nigeria counter the threat of Boko 

Haram and other associated violent extremist groups. 

I will provide a full copy of my written testimony so this will be 

somewhat abbreviated so that I leave enough time to take questions. 

Chairman Smith and Chairman Poe, instability in Nigeria is of 

direct concern to the United States. Nigeria is one of our most important partners in Africa. It is home to an estimated 170 million 

people, making it the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most populous country in the world. Nigeria has the 22nd 

fastest-growing economy in the world, the 13th largest supply of oil 

to the global market, and the second largest destination for U.S. 

private investment in Africa. Nigeria is also the second largest Africa contributor to U.N. peacekeeping operations around the world, 

not just in Africa, but around the world, and we welcome Nigeria’s 

participation on the U.N. Security Council beginning in January. 

The significant mutual interests we share with Nigeria have led 

us to build a robust, bilateral relationship which we have deepened 

and broadened through the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission. 

We meet regularly with senior Nigerian officials. President Obama 

met with President Jonathan in New York in September on the 

margins of the U.N. General Assembly. Under Secretary Sherman 

led a large interagency U.S. delegation to Abuja in mid-August to 

discuss civilian security with senior Nigerian civilian and military 

leaders, including President Jonathan and National Security Advisor Dasuki. I will be traveling myself to Nigeria in December and 

hope to have meetings at those same levels. 

Additionally, I would like to thank you, Congressman Smith for 

your visit to Nigeria in September to meet with Nigerians affected 

by Boko Haram’s violence. It is through these engagements, ours 

and yours, that we are able to translate our partnership into mutual action to advance opportunities and address threats that Boko 

Haram poses. 

Boko Haram and associated violent extremist groups, such as the 

faction known as Ansaru, that you all described in so much detail 

to us, pose a threat to Nigeria’s stability. These groups attack the 

Nigerian Government. They attack the military. They attack ordinary citizens of all walks of life, including numerous Christians, 

8

but even a greater number of Muslims. Their actions have increased tensions between ethnic communities. It has interrupted 

development, frightened investors, and alarmed Nigeria’s neighbors. Boko Haram and associated groups can strike Nigeria’s neighbors and it targets foreigners. Their unspeakable violence has 

killed too many Nigerians to even count, as we saw during September, when attackers in Benisheikh shot more than 160 people 

and in Yobe, where you described earlier, more than fifty innocent 

students lost their lives. 

In August 2011, a suicide bomber from Boko Haram attacked the 

United Nations headquarters in Nigeria’s capital Abuja. And on 

February 19 of this year, Boko Haram kidnapped seven French 

tourists in Cameroon. And although Boko Haram has directed most 

of its violence and rhetoric at Nigerian targets reports of linkages 

between Boko Haram and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or 

AQIM, are very worrisome for us as well as for the Nigerians. 

Boko Haram’s violence comes at a time of uncertainty and tension for Nigeria. Preparations for the country’s 2015 elections have 

already begun, and political realignments are adding to existing 

tensions. In the oil-producing Niger Delta region, thieves steal at 

least 100,000 barrels of oil per day and perhaps much more. This 

theft reduces government revenues, fuels corruption and international crime, and contributes to environmental degradation. Corruption hinders the country’s efforts to enforce the rule of law, to 

attract investment, and expand infrastructure. Good governance, 

healthy political competition, equitable economic growth would go 

a long way to address all of these challenges. And the strategy of 

countering Boko Haram should be, in other words, holistic. The 

government needs not only to stop Boko Haram’s attacks, but address longstanding grievances of law-abiding northern Nigerians 

about government corruption and unfairness that attracts disaffected youth to Boko Haram. 

Military and law enforcement efforts are necessary, but they 

alone are insufficient to counter the threat posed by Boko Haram 

and associated violent extremist groups. In the long run, reducing 

Boko Haram’s ability to recruit is just as important as degrading 

its capabilities. Nigeria must protect civilians. It must guarantee 

human rights, and ensure accountability in instances where government officials and security forces violate those rights. Nigeria 

must demonstrate to all Nigerians that government can be and 

must be the sole, trusted arbiter of justice in the country. 

The United States is committed to helping the Nigerian Government and people counter the threat of Boko Haram. In June 2012, 

the State Department designated Boko Haram’s top commander as 

specially designated global terrorist under Section 1(b) of Executive 

Order 13224. In June 2013, the State Department added Abubakar 

Shekau, Boko Haram’s official leader, to our Rewards for Justice 

Program. I am pleased also to announce that the United States has 

taken additional steps to counter the threat posed by Boko Haram 

and Ansaru. Earlier today, the State Department designated both 

as foreign terrorist organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, and especially Designated Global Terrorists under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 

13224. We took this step after very careful consideration and I 

9

know you think it was too long, but we did make sure that we got 

it right. We anticipate that this designation will empower U.S. law 

enforcement and the Treasury Department with additional tools to 

pursue these violent extremist organizations. We believe this designation is an important and appropriate step, but again, it is only 

one tool in what we believe must be a comprehensive approach toward addressing the Boko Haram threat. 

We are committed to assisting Nigeria in bolstering its law enforcement capabilities and ultimately in shifting to what we believe 

should be an integrated, civilian security-focused strategy to 

counter Boko Haram and Ansaru in a manner that adheres to the 

rule of law and ensures accountability and diminishes the ability 

of Boko Haram’s appeal and legitimacy to civilian populations. 

The United States recognizes that the Nigerian Government and 

security forces face a difficult challenge in countering the Boko 

Haram insurgency. Both ordinary citizens and security forces have 

suffered. Still, we are concerned by reports that some Nigerian security forces have committed gross human rights violations in response to Boko Haram. Not only because their approach is wrong, 

but because it is counterproductive. We have raised this concern 

with the Government of Nigeria at the highest levels. And while 

northern Nigerians, Muslims and Christians alike, largely reject 

Boko Haram’s vision and violence, Boko Haram has exploited local 

resentment of these violations and other long-standing grievances 

against the central government to attract recruits. 

Nigeria’s prosperity and stability matter to all of Africa. The 

United States is committed to several Presidential initiatives in 

partnership with Nigeria, including the Young African Leaders Initiative and Power Africa, as well as significant programs in the 

areas of health, education, and economic growth. Nigeria’s success 

is important to us. We must continue to help our Nigerian partners 

develop an effective, multi-faceted strategy toward Boko Haram. 

Overcoming the challenges posed by Boko Haram will not be easy 

and we know that, but we do believe it is possible. We appreciate 

all of your efforts here in Congress. We appreciate your interest in 

this issue and we are ready to work with you, as well as with the 

government and people of Nigeria in the months ahead to work 

against this threat. I look forward to your questions. Thank you 

very much. 

[The prepared statement of Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield follows:]

10


85552a-1.eps

Testimony of Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, 

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs 

before the 

House Foreign Affairs Committee 

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Human Rights, and 

International Organizations 

and 

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade 

"Countering the Threat Posed by Boko Haram" 

November 13,2013 

Chairman Smith, Chairman Poe, Ranking Member Bass, Ranking 

Member Deutch, and Members of the Committee, thank you for this 

opportunity to update you about U.S. policy on Nigeria and specifically 

our efforts to help Nigeria counter the threat posed by Boko Haram and 

associated violent extremist groups. 

Chairman Smith and Chairman Poe, instability in Nigeria is of 

direct concern to the United States. Nigeria is one of our most important 

partners in Africa. It is home to an estimated 170 million people, 

making it the most populous country in Africa and the seventh most 

populous country in the world. Nigeria is the twenty-second fastest-
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growing economy in the world, the thirteenth-largest supplier of oil to 

the global market, and the second largest destination for U.S. private 

investment in Africa. Nigeria is also the second-largest African 

contributor to UN peacekeeping operations around the world and we 

welcome Nigeria's participation on the U.N. Security Council beginning 

in January. 

The significant mutual interests we share with Nigeria have led us 

to build a robust bilateral relationship, which we have deepened and 

broadened through the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission. We meet 

regularly with senior Nigerian officials. President Obama met with 

President Jonathan on the margins of the UN General Assembly in 

September. Under Secretary Wendy Sherman led a large interagency 

U.S. delegation to Abuja in mid-August to discuss civilian security with 

senior Nigerian civilian and military leaders, including President 

Jonathan and National Security Advisor Dasuki. Additionally, we have 

welcomed the travel of Congressional partners like Chairman Smith who 

visited Nigeria September 21-24 to meet with Nigerians affected by 

Boko Haram violence. It is through these engagements that we are able 

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to translate our partnership into mutual action to advance opportunities 

and address threats. 

Boko Haram and associated violent extremist groups, such as the 

faction known as Ansaru, pose a threat to Nigeria's stability. These 

groups attack the Nigerian government, military, and ordinary citizens of 

all walks of life, including numerous Christians and an even greater 

number of Muslims. Their actions have increased tensions between 

ethnic communities, interrupted development, frightened investors, and 

alarmed Nigeria's neighbors. Boko Haram and associated groups can 

strike Nigeria's neighbors and target foreigners. Their unspeakable 

violence has killed too many Nigerians, as we saw during September, 

when attacks in Benisheikh shot more than 160 people and in Yobe, 

where more than fifty innocent students lost their lives. In August 20ll, 

a suicide bomber from Boko Haram attacked the United Nations 

headquarters in Nigeria's capital Abuja. On February 19 of this year, 

Boko Haram kidnapped seven French tourists in Cameroon. Although 

Boko Haram has directed most of its violence and rhetoric at Nigerian 

3 
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targets, reports oflinkages between Boko Haram and Al Qa'ida in the 

Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, are worrying. 

The ongoing violence in northern Nigeria has multiple causes. 

These include Boko Haram's ideology, which opposes Western culture 

and education and seeks to overthrow the Nigerian state and replace it 

with a regime enforcing strict shari'a law. Boko Haram has exploited 

religious rhetoric in an attempt to justify its violence, casting the state as 

hopelessly corrupt and un-Islamic. Regional and socioeconomic 

disparities have also contributed to the group's ability to recruit. 

Northern Nigeria has long lagged behind the south in education and 

economic development. In 2011, Nigeria's national unemployment rate 

was 24 percent, but the unemployment rate in six of the twelve far 

northern states exceeded 30 percent. In 2010, Nigeria's rate of absolute 

poverty was 62 percent, but in eight of the twelve far northern states the 

figure exceeded 70 percent. Of Nigeria's estimated 10.5 million 

children who do not attend school, 92 percent are estimated to be in the 

north. Boko Haram's activities call our attention not just to violence, 

but also to poverty and inequality in Nigeria. 

4 
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Boko Haram's violence also comes at a time of uncertainty and 

tension for Nigeria. Preparations for the country's 2015 elections have 

already begun, and political realignments are adding to existing tensions. 

In the oil-producing Niger Delta region, thieves steal at least 100,000 

barrels of oil per day and perhaps much more. This theft reduces 

government revenues, fuels corruption and international crime, and 

contributes to environmental degradation. In Nigeria's ethnically and 

religiously diverse Middle Belt, communal violence occurs in tragic 

cycles, overwhelming civilian authorities and stoking regional tensions. 

Corruption hinders the country's efforts to enforce the rule of law, 

generate electricity, attract investment, and expand infrastructure. 

Despite its tremendous wealth and vast human resources, Nigeria 

struggles to reduce poverty; despite its oil exports and agricultural 

riches, the country imports gasoline and rice. Good governance, healthy 

political competition, and equitable economic growth would go a long 

way to address all of these challenges. The strategy for countering Boko 

Haram should be, in other words, holistic. The government needs to not 

only stop Boko Haram's attacks, but address longstanding grievances of 

5 
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law-abiding northern Nigerians about government corruption and 

unfairness that attracts disaffected youth to Boko Haram. 

The United States is committed to helping the Nigerian 

government and people counter the threat posed by Boko Haram and 

associated violent extremist groups. In recent years, we have worked to 

help isolate Boko Haram's leaders. In June 2012, the State Department 

designated Boko Haram's top commanders as Specially Designated 

Global Terrorists under section l(b) of Executive Order 13224. In June 

2013, the State Department added Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram's 

official leader, to our Rewards for Justice Program and offered up to $7 

million for information leading to his location. 

I am pleased to inform you that the United States has recently 

taken additional steps to counter the threat posed by Boko Haram and 

Ansaru. Earlier today, the State Department designated both as Foreign 

Terrorist Organizations under Section 219 of the Immigration and 

Nationality Act, as amended, and as Specially Designated Global 

Terrorists under section l(b) of Executive Order 13224. We took this 

step after careful consideration. We anticipate that this designation will 

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empower U.S. law enforcement and the Treasury Department with 

additional tools to pursue these violent extremist organizations. We 

believe this designation is an important and appropriate step, but it is 

only one tool in what we believe must be a comprehensive approach 

toward addressing the Boko Haram threat. It is also our sincere hope 

that the Nigerian government and people will see this as a gesture of 

support in their fight against Boko Haram. Weare committed to 

assisting Nigeria in bolstering its law enforcement capabilities and 

ultimately shifting to an integrated civilian-security-focused strategy to 

counter Boko Haram and Ansaru in a manner that adheres to the rule of 

law and ensures accountability. 

The United States has also sought to enhance the capacity of 

Nigeria and its neighbors to detect, disrupt, respond to, investigate, and 

prosecute terrorist incidents. Through the Trans-Sahara 

Counterterrorism Partnership, we build military, law enforcement, and 

civilian capacity and resilience across the Sahel and Maghreb regions to 

counter terrorism. We continue to train and equip Nigerian law 

enforcement units to strengthen leadership, improve crisis management, 

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enhance investigations and forensics, and counter improvised explosive 

devices. The State Department also funds a Legal Adviser to help the 

Nigerian government strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter 

terrorist financing regime. 

Military and law enforcement efforts are necessary, but they alone 

are insufficient to counter the threat posed by Boko Haram and 

associated violent extremist groups. In the long run, reducing Boko 

Haram's ability to recruit is just as important as degrading its 

capabilities. In addition to the imperatives of improving governance and 

fostering equitable development, Nigeria must protect civilians, 

guarantee human rights, and ensure accountability in instances where 

government officials and security forces violate those rights. Nigeria 

must demonstrate that government can be the sole, trusted arbiter of 

justice in the country. 

The United States recognizes that the Nigerian government and 

security forces face a difficult challenge in countering the Boko Haram 

insurgency. Both ordinary citizens and security forces have suffered. 

Still, we are concerned by reports that some Nigerian security forces 

8 
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have committed gross human rights violations in response to Boko 

Haram. We have raised this concern with the Government of Nigeria at 

the highest levels. While northern Nigerians, Muslims and Christians 

alike, largely reject Boko Haram's vision and violence, Boko Haram has 

exploited local resentment of these violations and other long-standing 

grievances against the central government to attract recruits. 

The United States is committed to helping Nigeria shift to a 

strategy that focuses on protecting citizens. Such a strategy would 

diminish Boko Haram's appeal and legitimacy. We support civil 

society-led efforts in Nigeria that counter Boko Haram's narrative and 

its violent extremist message. We also seek to increase outreach with 

youth leaders in northern Nigeria, and to promote better relations 

between these leaders and Nigerian government officials. We maintain 

an American corner in Kano, Nigeria, although its outreach activities 

have been limited by the security situation. 

Nigeria's prosperity and stability matter to all of Africa. The 

United States is committed to several Presidential initiatives in 

partnership with Nigeria, including the Young African Leaders Initiative 

9 
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and Power Africa, as well as significant programs for health and 

economic growth. Nigeria's success is important to us. We must 

continue to help our Nigerian partners develop an effective, multifaceted strategy toward Boko Haram. Overcoming the challenges posed 

by Boko Haram will not be easy, but we believe it is possible with 

leadership and creativity. We appreciate Congress' interest in this issue, 

and we are ready to work with you in the months ahead. 1 look forward 

to your questions. 

10 
20

Mr. SMITH. Thank you very much, Madam Ambassador. 

Mr. SHERMAN. There is a vote on the floor. 

Mr. SMITH. I know. We do have a series of votes, but I thought 

we would start some of the questions and I do hope your time permits you because I know many members do have very significant 

questions so I thank you for that and for our other witnesses as 

well, for your patience. 

Let me begin the questioning. First, thank you for the designation of FTO. I think that is monumental, it is historic, and it is absolutely warranted. I remember in July 2012 asking Ambassador 

Carson a number of questions and there was a great deal of resistance. As a matter of fact, he said that the bulk of the organization, 

we believe to be mainly aimed at going after Nigerians and that 

is not good either, of course, but they certainly have shown that 

they meet the criteria; this is absolutely well deserved and hopefully will make a difference. 

You might want to for the committee and for all, maybe to delineate as to what that actually means. Meeting with Members of the 

Congress, House and Senate in Abuja, as well as here, when they 

visited, some thought it might be a mark, a bad mark against the 

country of Nigeria and I and others tried to say, no, this is only 

targeted at a group of terrorists and thugs who are murdering people inside as well as those who are visiting in Nigeria, that is to 

say, Boko Haram is doing that. So what is actually the positiveness 

of that designation? 

Secondly, your view of Goodluck Jonathan’s military efforts to 

contain, combat, and hopefully end this terrible scourge in Nigeria, 

Boko Haram. The Leahy amendment, as we all know, is all about 

vetting and human rights criteria, but if you could speak to whether or not you believe there needs to be a revisiting of at least its 

application, which can become counterproductive. Whole groups are 

being disqualified simply because of a concern that it might now 

comport with the Leahy amendment and it seems to me that needs 

to be looked at very carefully. Don’t ever, obviously, enable a 

human rights abuser, but when it gets in the way of good, solid 

training forces who could be more efficacious on the battlefield, but 

also be very pro-human rights, it seems to me that that is both in 

Nigeria’s as well as our best interest. 

And finally, on the issue of the persecution of Christians, I met 

with a group of Christians in Jos who were refugees, IDPs, and 

they said that their homes were actually marked in kind of a perverse reversal of the Passover and it said ‘‘infidel’’ on the top of 

their doors and that night Boko Haram wielding AK–47s, individuals, came and killed people. Some got out, others did not. And 

again, as I mentioned, one of our witnesses, Mr. Adamu, when I 

heard his story, I was in tears. I am not moved to tears easily, but 

I welled up with tears as he talked about his faith as a Christian, 

as they blew his face away and left him for dead, right in front of 

his dear wife, who was sobbing, but rather than convert, he stood 

up. That kind of atrocity against Christians or anyone, obviously, 

is unconscionable. If you could speak to that as well, those two 

questions. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you. Let me start with 

your first question, what does the designation mean? I have to tell 

21

you that we got a very positive response when we informed the Nigerians that we had made the decision to designate. It sends a 

strong message to the people of Nigeria that we feel their pain and 

that we understand what is going on in Nigeria. And the message 

has been very, very positive from the Nigeria front. 

The designation gives us some additional tools for providing support to the Nigerians particularly, through Treasury, putting holds 

on bank accounts and movements of cash, but also in terms of our 

ability to provide additional support to Nigeria and to countries in 

the regions to help them fight Boko Haram. Nigeria itself declared 

Boko Haram a terrorist organization earlier this year. The UK has 

done the same and now we have joined them and I am pleased that 

that has happened. 

In terms of the government’s effort, we know that the Nigerian 

Government has a tough job responding to this crisis. And as I said 

in my testimony, they have not always gotten it right. They have 

been particularly heavy handed in the response. I think with the 

hope and desire that they will bring this to an end quickly. It has 

not come to an end quickly and some of the Nigerian military 

forces in their heavy-handed use of force have committed some 

human rights violations that we have raised with the government 

and because of that, some of their troops have been under Leahy, 

not allowed to get training in the United States or provided by the 

United States. 

So we are hopeful that through our continued work with the government we can help them address some of their approach so that 

the violations are not continued. We are encouraging them to allow 

international organizations and local NGOs to go into some of the 

detention centers to help them. And we are encouraging them not 

to do anything that would turn the people of the north against 

them. And we are hopeful that in the coming weeks in our visits 

and discussions with the government that we will be able to help 

them address some of these issues. 

In terms of the persecution of Christians, the news on that front, 

we have all seen it. We all feel it. And we are all really disgusted 

by it. I would add that in addition the Boko Haram is a terrorist 

organization. And terrorist organizations harm everyone and they 

have killed, as they have killed Christians in the name of Islam, 

they have also killed Muslims in the name of Islam. And I make 

that point because their victims are across the board. It is women 

and children. It is government officials. It is civilians. It is Nigerians. It is across the border in Niger, in Cameroon. It is French 

citizens being kidnapped. So while they do have a religious bent to 

what they do, they are nondiscriminating in their attacks on people. And what that means is we have to work to stop this. 

Mr. SMITH. But I think you would agree that there has been absolutely disproportionate focus on Christians. As a matter of fact, 

Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, who is the managing partner of U.S.-Nigeria Law Group, has been critical of the State Department, and I 

would agree, for downplaying the religious nature of this. And I, 

too, believe and know that Muslims are targeted. No doubt about 

it. But it is usually when they speak out against Boko Haram. But 

Christians are targeted simply because of their faith. So you would 

agree with that? 

22

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Yes, sir. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. We will stand in brief recess. There are 

three votes, an interim, and then two more votes, but we will come 

back during that interim and it will be in about 15 to 20 minutes. 

Thank you for patience. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you. 

[Off the record.] 

Mr. SMITH. The subcommittees will resume their hearing and 

their seating. And again, I apologize to all of our witnesses and to 

you, Madam Ambassador, for that lengthy series of votes, but I 

now yield to the distinguished chairman, Mr. Poe. 

Mr. POE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for being here. 

I am not always one who gives kudos to the State Department, but 

I think you are doing a great job representing the interests of the 

United States. That is my opinion. 

I have a few questions, of course. The Nigerian military, I just 

need your opinion, do they have the capability right now to defeat 

Boko Haram? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. That is a tough question. I 

think the Nigerian military has the capability to defeat Boko 

Haram. I think that they could use some support. It is a challenging job and one that we are prepared to help them with in 

terms of providing them with additional training, particularly in 

providing them with—and not just the military, with other security 

forces, with providing them with forensic support, investigation 

support, and other types of support. We think that their approach, 

again, has been somewhat heavy handed, I think, in an effort to 

bring this to closure quickly. And we have tried to work with them 

to help them address that issue. But it is not just a security issue. 

It is also an issue that requires the Nigerian Government to deal 

with some of the social and economic issues that exist in the north 

that has attracted people to Boko Haram. So being able to provide 

infrastructure, schools, the availability of healthcare, dealing with 

issues of corruption, all of those things go hand in hand with addressing the security issues that they are trying to deal with. 

Mr. POE. Are we looking at a situation where the country may 

end up being a failed state because of the activities of Boko 

Haram? It seems like to me they promote anarchy. They want anarchy. They want people to live in fear and then you have the corruption with the government. Is that what the world has foreseen 

in Nigeria? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I tend to be more optimistic. 

Nigeria is a huge country. It is a complex country. It is a country 

with tremendous diversity. I don’t think Boko Haram has the 

power to make Nigeria into a failed state. There are lots of other 

elements that could contribute to that. Boko Haram will make Nigeria, particularly in the north, difficult to govern. Boko Haram 

will present challenges to security. It presents challenges to individuals who want to invest. It presents challenges to private American citizens who want to visit because we do have a travel warning out because of the activities of Boko Haram. But I don’t think 

Boko Haram has the power to make Nigeria into a failed state. 

Mr. POE. I have two more questions. On a related topic, there are 

many terrorist organizations, several that have been designated as 

23

foreign terrorist organizations. Do you have any information that 

Hezbollah or the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps is active in 

Nigeria? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I don’t have any information 

on those two organizations. I can go back and look at what we have 

and get an answer back to you. We do believe that Boko Haram 

has links to al-Qaeda. We think they have links to al-Shabaab. And 

we certainly think that they use the ideology of these organizations 

to support their efforts in Nigeria. But I have not seen anything 

to indicate that they have connections to Hezbollah or to Iran.

WRITTEN RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE HONORABLE LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD

TO QUESTION ASKED DURING THE HEARING BY THE HONORABLE TED POE

We believe that it is highly unlikely that Boko Haram has any ties to Shia extremist organizations in Nigeria. We remain concerned about Hezballah and Iran 

attempting to extend influence in Africa by seeking support among sympathetic populations in Nigeria and elsewhere. We will continue to monitor potential nefarious 

activity in Nigeria and are following closely the May 2013 arrests and subsequent 

prosecution of the alleged Hezballah members in Nigeria.

Mr. POE. My understanding is they get their money from kidnapping, holding people for ransom, take over a little town and tax the 

citizens of the town, have protection rackets. They are involved in 

smuggling and anything else illegal they can think of. Will the designation of being an FTO, how will that affect the influx of money 

which is what they do, all that outlawry is what I call it. I am from 

Texas, so we call them outlaws. How will that affect, if it does, the 

money flow going to Boko Haram? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I think the designation does 

give us some tools to track money that is going to Boko Haram. I 

doubt that their money is being put in legal instruments, so they 

generally get most of their funding through illegal means, through 

kidnappings, through other criminal activities. They certainly have 

had an impact on trade and the movement of goods in the north 

and probably have gotten some advantages from that. Again, I 

think it is through those activities that they have been able to fund 

their operations. 

Mr. POE. Last question. What is your understanding as to the 

numbers? How many people are we talking about that consider 

themselves aligned with Boko Haram being their soldiers, their 

killers, whatever you want to call them? How many would you 

guess or estimate? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you for that question. 

And it is a question that I asked as I was preparing for this hearing. We don’t have a real fix on what the numbers are. We think 

that the core of Boko Haram is not large, somewhere in the hundreds to thousands. But not in the tens of thousands, in the mid 

thousands. We think there are people who are sympathetic to Boko 

Haram in some of the communities they operate in, but an actual 

fix on the exact numbers, we are just not sure of. 

Mr. POE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you very much, Chairman Poe. Just a few 

final questions if I could, then hopefully others will return. If you 

could speak to, one of the things I noticed when Mr. Simpkins and 

I were in Jos was that the number of IDPs, 91 families that were 

housed in what looked like an old apartment or motel building, 

24

very cramped, very threadbare for any of the essentials that even 

in a refugee camp somebody might expect. I was struck by what 

seemed to be a lack of any resources for them either by the government or by the international community including USAID. 

And I am wondering in his testimony, Mr. Ogebe, Emmanuel 

Ogebe, points out and this is his quote:

‘‘U.S. has lagged behind in humanitarian assistance and has 

not provided anything to the victims of Boko Haram terrorism 

or crisis. Even less is said to the Federal Government about 

providing victim assistance.’’

What is your understanding as to what we are doing for those 

victims? I met with them. The kids all crowded around. They were 

desperate. They looked healthy, but thin. I am certainly frightened 

and again that is where we met one of our witnesses who will be 

talking or testifying a little bit later, Mr. Adamu, who told that 

story about being shot and being left for dead. Are we assisting? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I think, as you know, Congressman, the U.S. is the largest contributor for humanitarian assistance worldwide, not just in the case of Nigeria. So we are assisting through international organizations, through NGOs, 

through our contributions. Unfortunately, our own presence is 

hampered by the security situation. We are not getting our people 

up to the North in a significant way. And I have heard just that, 

that people in the north are not seeing us. We had hoped to open 

a consulate in Kano. We actually had support for moving forward 

on that. We had staff identified, but because of security, we were 

not able to put them there. We have a small American Corners 

there, but again, we are not getting our people out there in a significant way. 

We have one political officer and a public affairs officer based in 

Abuja and we are hoping that they can get out more and hoping 

that we can get more actual face on the ground in those regions 

so that people know we are there. They know we care. And they 

see the assistance that is coming through. But a lot of our assistance does not have our flag on it because we are going through 

international organizations. 

Mr. SMITH. If you could, one, take back, the Jubilee Campaign 

was actually helping the people and those 91 refugees. And again 

their resources are tight. Any help from any of the faith-based 

groups? We actually met with a remarkable archbishop, Kaigama, 

who works side by side with the Muslim leadership in Jos. I mean 

it really was remarkable to see the kinds of things they are doing 

together to say that this is not Islam, and the Christians can work 

side by side with people of different faiths. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I will definitely take that 

back. 

Mr. SMITH. But he did tell us when we were meeting with him 

that he had a robust program to help AIDS orphans and it was 

canceled and could not get a good answer as to why, so I raised 

that when I went back to the Embassy. They didn’t know and I 

still don’t know. So if you could get that for us. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. We will follow up and get that 

answer.

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WRITTEN RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE HONORABLE LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD

TO QUESTION ASKED DURING THE HEARING BY THE HONORABLE CHRISTOPHER H. 

SMITH

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) funded the Jos Catholic Archdiocese 

through a local partner organization, the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria 

(APIN). APIN’s Community-Based Care and Support program finished on July 31, 

2013. In October, another CDC partner—the Catholic organization Caritas—took 

over funding programs in the Archdiocese. So the program is once again being supported, although at a lower level than previously due to budget constraints.

Mr. SMITH. They had scores of AIDS orphans this faith-based organization was caring for that he has—they are going to somehow 

cobble together an assistance for them, basically. They don’t have 

the money and they were getting it from us. 

And I did ask a question and this is another take back, but I am 

a great believer, particularly in places like Nigeria where faithbased is so integral to the delivery of healthcare and other services. 

I asked how much of the PEPFAR money is being used or meted 

out to faith-based and I was told under 10 percent which I think 

is shocking. That needs to be turned around. And a day later, I am 

actually sitting with an archbishop outside of Abuja and he tells 

me how his program was cut and that was obviously a faith-based. 

And of course, they deal with all comers, Muslim, anyone who 

needs help as an orphan gets it. There is no test of faith for that 

kind of service. So I would ask if you could get back to us. That 

was very disconcerting. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you for bringing it to 

my attention. We will get back to you with an answer.

WRITTEN RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE HONORABLE LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD

TO QUESTION ASKED DURING THE HEARING BY THE HONORABLE CHRISTOPHER H. 

SMITH

The U.S. Government PEPFAR team awards cooperative agreements, grants and 

contracts through full and open competition. Selection of current implementing partners was done through a competitive process. While 10% of the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)-funded activities in Nigeria are with 

faith-based organizations, the U.S. Government PEPFAR team in no way limits its 

engagement with faith-based organizations to a particular percentage or funding 

level.

Mr. SMITH. Let me just ask about child soldiers and Boko Haram 

and Ansaru. Do they coerce children to become soldiers and to 

what extent? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. We do have information to indicate that they are recruiting child soldiers. In terms of the fact 

that many young, particularly young men who are not in any formal education program go into some of the schools that are there 

that take them from their families and they are raised in these 

schools and they are used to go out in the streets to beg and they 

spend a lot of time getting inculcated with the ideas of Boko 

Haram. And we do know that they have used children in their efforts. 

Mr. SMITH. The link of Boko Haram and Ansaru to other terrorist organizations, are you at liberty to——

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I am sorry. I didn’t hear your 

question. 

Mr. SMITH. Any links of Boko Haram and Ansaru to other terrorist organizations? 

26

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. As I said earlier, we do think 

that they do have links to AQIM. They certainly use their ideology, 

they use their operational plans and we know that they have done 

some training, particularly in Mali and in other areas, so the links 

are there. How close those links are, I can’t discuss, but I think we 

are worried and concerned about those connections. 

Mr. SMITH. Chairman Poe. 

Mr. POE. I understand that the Leahy Law prevents us from 

training the Nigerian military in the north. Is that your understanding? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. All of those units that have 

been connected with human rights violations in the north have 

been, because of Leahy barred from any training by the U.S. Government, so that is correct. 

Mr. POE. Does that include all of the military or just specific 

units of the Nigerian military? 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Those units that have been 

connected to human rights violations and I don’t think at this point 

it is all the units, but I don’t know that answer. I can get back to 

you on that.

WRITTEN RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM THE HONORABLE LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD

TO QUESTION ASKED DURING THE HEARING BY THE HONORABLE TED POE

Assistance is withheld when the vetting process uncovers credible information 

that an individual or unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. We continue to provide assistance to other individuals and units of the Nigerian military.

Mr. POE. I would appreciate it if you get back to us and also 

more legalese about the Leahy Law and how it does apply or does 

not apply in this specific situation with the Nigeria military 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. SMITH. I, too, would raise that as well. I understand the 

abundance of caution and that is prudent, but again, if we were in 

the position of training with human rights training, but also to be 

more effective, I think the Nigerian forces, some of the skills that 

might be imparted to them could make a huge difference. 

I do want to thank Megan Ahearn who was our Foreign Service 

officer when Greg and I were in Nigeria. She was absolutely professional, effective, nonplused when our schedule changed by the 

minute and the Embassy was very supportive of the entire effort 

and the DCM Maria Brewer was also, even though she is relatively 

new there coming from a different posting, provided every courtesy 

and I am deeply appreciative of that as well. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. I will pass that on to her and 

I know it is a tough job because I have been your control officer 

before and you work really hard and we know that when you are 

coming, we have to be prepared for you. So to get that kind of 

kudos from you is really, really wonderful. So thank you. 

Mr. SMITH. I know even the trip we made to Jos, they did not 

leave a single stone unturned in making it work in a safe way, but 

also a way that maximized every moment, so I want to thank her. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you. 

Mr. SMITH. That would be Megan Ahearn. 

Ambassador THOMAS-GREENFIELD. Thank you very much. 

27

Mr. SMITH. Thank you, Madam Ambassador. I now would like to 

welcome to the witness table our second panel beginning with Mr. 

Emmanuel Obege who is an experienced attorney specializing in 

international matters, focusing on Nigeria. Exiled to the U.S. after 

becoming a political detainee during the brutal years of Nigeria’s 

military dictatorship, Mr. Obege has played a role in shaping U.S. 

policy toward Nigeria and his quest for a more robust democracy. 

He has experience in managing, designing, and implementing complex international programs and projects in Nigeria. He presently 

is practicing as a legal consultant in Nigeria with the Washington, 

DC, bar and he holds the distinction of being the first specialist on 

Nigeria out of 100,000 lawyers licensed in Washington, DC. 

Then Mr. Habila Adamu is from Yobe State in northern Nigeria 

and has experienced the brutality of Boko Haram himself. Unlike 

many others, he survived and fortunately he is able to be here to 

tell us about it today. Greg Simpkins and I met with him when we 

were traveling in Nigeria 2 months ago and I and all of us were 

deeply touched by his story. I believe his experience is emblematic 

of the experience of many Christians who are victimized by Boko 

Haram and his determination is a testament to his faith. 

We will then hear from Mr. Jacob Zenn who is an expert on 

northern Nigerian security and a consultant on countering violent 

extremism. He is the author of the book, Northern Nigeria’s Boko 

Haram, the Price in al-Qaeda’s Africa Strategy, published in 2012 

and based on his field work in Boko Haram’s main area of operations in northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, Chad, and southern Niger. He has briefed many officials with different governments and served as a policy advisor to the Nigerian-American 

Leadership Council which works with the Nigerian diaspora, U.S. 

Government, think tanks, and civic organizations to counter 

radicalization and to promote accountability. 

Finally, we will hear from Dr. Guy Nzeribe who is an independent Africa-focused policy analyst with expertise in sectarian 

conflicts and terrorism in the southern Sahel zone and Nigeria. He 

is also an alumnus of the U.S. Defense Department’s National Security Education Program at Georgetown University. Professionally, he has over 20 years of experience in politics, industry, 

and academia. He has worked in investment banking, consulting, 

technology, and is an international trade specialist. He is also a 

former college professor whose area of research and teaching focused on technology, management, and organizational change. 

Mr. Ogebe. 

STATEMENT OF MR. EMMANUEL OGEBE, MANAGING 

PARTNER, U.S.-NIGERIA LAW GROUP 

Mr. OGEBE. Chairman Smith, I would like to thank you very 

much for hosting us today. I want to especially commend you for 

the courage in coming out to Nigeria. During your trip I learned 

that the security levels for Nigeria for U.S. dignitaries is equivalent 

to the levels for Iraq and for you to come out like that was really 

commendable. 

Chairman Poe, I want to also thank you very much for co-hosting 

this session. I do want to say that in Nigeria, like in Texas, we still 

28

do outlaws. We call them outlaws and Boko Haram has been outlawed in Nigeria as well. 

I want to say that I feel that Christmas came early for me today 

because the Secretary has done what was on my wish list a year 

ago. And she has taken the wind out of the sails of my presentation 

and so I will just make a few remarks. 

The first thing is I would like to say for the last 3 years, we have 

been working aggressively to document what I call a ‘‘pre-genocide’’ 

in Nigeria. And this is what it looks like. Deborah Shatima had 

Boko Haram members come to her home. They shot her husband 

to death in front of her and when they were leaving, they abducted 

her seven and 9-year-old daughters and went away with them. 

Now this is horrific for any parent, but there is more. They came 

back 3 months later and said have you converted to Islam? She 

said no. And then they shot her remaining son and his friend and 

killed them. 

Gentlemen, that is what terror looks like. Deborah Shatima has 

lived and known that terror for over a year now and while I am 

gratified that the State Department suddenly recognizes today that 

this is a foreign terrorist organization, we are concerned that it 

took them too long. However, we do want to give credit to this committee because we believe that the bill that you wrote finally 

nudged them to do the right thing. 

Mr. Chairman, if I may, let me mention what the new face of 

Boko Haram terrorism looks like. While I was in Nigeria, shortly 

after you left, Boko Haram conducted a roadside massacre. And 

here is what they did. In Damaturu, only 5 out of 77 churches in 

that town remain open because Boko Haram has been attacking 

churches in such a massive manner. And many parts of Yobe State 

have been de-Christianized with Boko Haram exterminating vast 

neighborhoods by killing Christians from house to house, forcing 

massive population displacements. 

This year, Boko Haram is now wiping out Christians in rural villages in Borno and burning the homes of those who have fled. 

Thousands are now refugees in Cameroon as we saw in our firsthand visit to the border of Cameroon. In fulfillment of a stated objective to eliminate Christians in northern Nigeria, Boko Haram 

has done significantly well since last year when it ordered Christians out. In Goza, Boko Haram has established camps in caves 

and mountains replicating the model of the Taliban of Afghanistan. 

Miles from our hotel, two churches were burned and the father of 

a gentleman we were interviewing was killed. 

Deborah Shatima, as I mentioned, is still remaining, one of the 

few Christians remaining there. We have tried to move her out of 

there, but she still is remaining in the hope that her two girls who 

are now ten and eight might come home one day. 

I want to say that with regard to the testimony of the Assistant 

Secretary who just spoke, there has been an improvement from the 

testimony last year. She has conceded that Boko Haram actually 

persecutes Christians, but she has again continued with this narrative that is not supported by the facts that more Muslims than 

Christians were killed. We are not interested in a game of numbers, but this is highly insensitive to the victims when the U.S. 

puts out gratuitous statements like that that are not reflective of 

29

what is going on on the ground. Considering that the United States 

has the largest political section in the African continent in Abuja, 

it is our hope that with the new personnel change there will be better reporting of the facts. 

I want to mention again this so-called argument that it is economics that drives this brutality. The U.S. seems oblivious of the 

strong anti-American sentiment in much of the north where the 

U.S. liberation of Kuwait was riddled with riots as well as U.S. 

support for Israel amongst many other issues. After 9/11 bin Laden 

posters flooded northern Nigeria. A decade ago, I visited a northern 

community devastated by flooding. The U.S. and Nigerian Government built 400 free houses for the community. When I went to visit 

the houses, I saw northern kids wearing Osama bin Laden hats. So 

it is shocking for me to hear U.S. diplomacy that extremism is Nigeria driven by local factors, when clearly there is a tie-in to global 

jihad and even to U.S. policy. 

Let me mention that while Egypt is America’s most strategic geopolitical partner in North Africa, Nigeria is its foremost ally in subSaharan Africa. Nigeria has consistently brokered peace deals and 

rolled back coups in Africa. While Egypt’s stabilization is aid-based 

and predicated on a balancing act, Nigeria’s regional security role 

is largely self-propelled. 

So for a partner such as this that the U.S. relies on to be boots 

on the ground in northern Mali, in Liberia, and so on and so forth, 

is somewhat disconcerting for the U.S. to be so critical of the Nigerian military. True, there are human rights abuses and I, as someone who was detained and tortured by the Nigerian Army during 

the rule of General Abacha, would not be the first person to speak 

on their behalf. But the fact of the matter is that if there was no 

state of emergency and if the troops did not go in, what is happening in Nigeria now would be far worse than what Boko Haram 

did last year. 

Because many churches have been closed down and because the 

Nigerian Government is protecting a lot of these areas, here is 

what Boko Haram did in September while I was in Nigeria the 

week that you arrived, a few days before you arrived. They blocked 

a highway and they began to kill people from car to car. They 

killed about 170 people that day. Here is what Boko Haram did. 

They asked them their names and they used their ID cards to ensure that their names tallied with the names they gave. So that if 

you gave a Muslim name and they checked your ID card and it 

wasn’t a Muslim name, they would identify you as a Christian and 

kill you. They killed 152 Christians that day. They used chain saws 

to behead people. Now it was not only Christians they killed. There 

were about 19 Muslims who had government-issued ID cards. So 

if you worked for a local government or a state government or authority or security operatives you would also be killed if you were 

a Muslim. The few Muslims who did not have ID cards, they were 

abducted by Boko Haram and taken away. We rescued a woman 

who escaped from a Boko Haram camp and I was curious why are 

they abducting these people and she told us that the Muslim 

abductees are taken to the camps and then they are trained and 

forcefully conscripted to become terrorists. 

30

I say this to say that it is clear therefore that there are many 

Muslims who are not supportive or sympathetic to Boko Haram, 

but they are being intimidated by the terrorist antics of this group. 

We all know the truism that all it takes for evil to triumph is for 

good men to do nothing. And we have today come to a point where 

the U.S. has finally decided to do something. 

I want to point out that there are some fighters of Boko Haram 

who are incentivized by two things. They were given transport 

money, as little as $30, to go and undertake jihad and they went 

to a church and they killed people, but they were always told that 

you are doing the work of Allah. So we see clearly a pattern that 

there are people who will take that little bribe to go out and do 

jihad. But then there are other people who are not interested in the 

bribe, but who are abducted and taken to those camps and made 

into terrorists. This story illustrates to my mind that it is not economics that is driving this. It is a warped theology. 

And so when the administration implies that somehow it is the 

actions of the government that is causing this, it is highly misleading. I will point out that the north has been backward for a 

very long time, even under British colonial rule. So it is not overnight that you can pin it down to the current administration. Let 

me say that what is worrisome to me as an individual is that when 

9/11 occurred, the whole world with one voice said this is unconscionable. Even in Iran, people protested and held vigils in sympathy with the United States. No one wanted to ask whether the 

U.S. fueled that situation by supporting bin Laden many years ago. 

That was not the time to ask that kind of question. We recognized 

evil for what it was and we stood up as one race to denounce it. 

And then in Nigeria, terrorists do these atrocious deeds and all 

of a sudden we begin to psychoanalyze and say oh, this must be 

because of poverty. As you said so eloquently last time, that is an 

insult to poor people. There is no legitimate grievance on the planet 

that would encourage anyone to take a chain saw and cut off the 

head of an innocent person who is struggling to go on and make 

a phone call to his mother because he couldn’t get a phone call signal in his state. And this is why it is my hope that as the U.S. cooperates with Nigeria more, they will encourage the Nigerian authorities to switch back the telecommunication systems in Borno 

State. 

Let me just say that there is still a little work to be done. We 

have talked about the humanitarian assistance. The U.S. is spending a lot of money on interfaith dialogue when this is not an interfaith issue. This is a radicalization issue and we should be looking 

at either of two things, either a de-radicalization program for these 

people who are killing Christians as well as Muslims who are critical of them, or we should be looking at humanitarian assistance 

for victims so that desperate people do not feel the need to fight 

back. 

I will also mention at this time that it is important for technical 

assistance for the Nigerian military because the U.S. has been 

down the same path that Nigeria is now going down, fighting an 

insurgency in Afghanistan. Boko Haram is modeled after the 

Taliban and I believe that there are lots of lessons learned that the 

United States can share with the Nigerian Army. 

31

So as I said, they took the wind out of my sails. There is not very 

much more I can say. I will say in conclusion that this is not about 

a threat to America. The threat has gone beyond the mere threat. 

I was in Abuja the day that Boko Haram bombed the United Nations building and my friend, an American lawyer, was in that 

building when it was bombed. When it occurred, I phoned her because I was a meant to be in that building that day. And I hear 

my friend coughing in the smoke-filled building. She had not yet 

been rescued. To this day I have not heard one word from the 

United States Embassy about my friend who was in that building. 

In addition to that, I later on learned that there was an American diplomat in that building when it was bombed. And so it concerns me that this is not a theoretical issue. This is practical. Boko 

Haram has killed people from Italy, from Germany, from France, 

and other numerous locations, about 15 countries at last count. Is 

it simply because my friend did not die that day that it has taken 

us so long to recognize Boko Haram as an FTO. 

I thank you very much for inviting me to speak to you today. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Ogebe follows:]

32


85552b-1.eps

Testimony of Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq. 

On Behalf of the Jubilee Campaign 

On 

The Rising Global Threat of Boko Haram& us Policy Intransigence 

Before the 

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International 

Organizations 

and the 

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade 

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International 

Organizations 

Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Chairman 

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-prol!feration and Trade 

Rep. Ted Poe, Chairman 

November 13,2013 

U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee 
33


85552b-2.eps

Mr. Chainnen, Ranking Members and Members of the Subcommittees: Thank you for 

the opportunity of allowing me to testify before you today. 

I especially want to thank Chainnan Smith for his outstanding leadership on this issue 

and for traveling to Nigeria to further investigate the situation, where he called for the 

Nigerian government to create a Boko Haram victim's compensation fund. Today, T 

would like to share five critical points concerning the unfolding situation in Nigeria. 

1. Profiles Of Terror 

The People for the Propagation of the Prophet's teaching, also known as Boko Haram 

was recently described as "one of the most vicious terrorist organizations in the world" 

by President Obama. The Nigerian-based Jihadist group was ranked the 2nd deadliest 

terrorist group worldwide - after the Taliban - by the State Department's 2012 US 

Terrorism report. 

Boko Haram emerged around 2002 as a self-styled "Nigerian Taliban" in direct response 

to the US invasion of Afghanistan and the dislodgment of the Taliban 1 Since its first 

attack against Nigerian police stations, interestingly, on Christmas Eve 2003, Boko 

Haram has evolved into a lethal terror group after its role model injust a decade. 

From the time it issued an ultimatum, shortly after blowing up churches on Christmas 

day, asking Christians and southerners to leave Northern Nigeria in January 2012 or die, 

Boko Haram has prosecuted a pernicious and systematic campaign of extennination. 

Funerals for randomly killed non-Muslim "others" havebeen attacked, companies have 

been raided, and non-Muslims summarily executed by shots to the head, buses have been 

stopped with the occupants separated and systematically slaughtered. More Christians 

lOnmonya, George, Boko Hamm and History, http://nigeriavillagesquare.com/guestarticles/boko-haram-and-history.html 

Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 2 
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85552b-3.eps

were killed in northern Nigeria in 2012 than throughout the rest of the world2 Despite a 

state of emergency meant to rout out the insurgents after they captured significant 

swathes of territory in Nigeria's northeast, military sources say they have only liberated 

about 75% of territory previously lost to Boko Haram. In a recent trip to an insurgent 

strong-hold, it was clear that Boko Haram is operating unfettered in the mountain ranges 

of Gwoza. Three churches and 21 homes were burnt and the father of one of our 

interviewees was killed just miles away from our hotel. These incidents barely made it 

into the local news. September marked the highest death toll since 2009 with deaths in 

the region of 500 including a rush hour ambush in which chainsaws were used to 

decapitate travelers, a school massacre, a military ambush and scorched earth raids on 

villages in Gwoza. Like Tora Bora, the hills of Gwoza have become a bastion of 

insurgency. In fact there is a region in Yobe actually renamed "Kandahar" by the 

terrorists. 

This year, there has been a sustained level in the number of church attacks in spite of the 

increased security. In 2012, about 47 churches were attacked. This year 53 churches have 

already been attacked and 216 people murdered in them. Last year, there \vere TIVO 

attacks on mosques carried out by Boko Haram resulting in 19 deaths and this year there 

have already been 1\vo attacks, with an increased death rate of 52, indicating an upward 

trend in the severity of sllch attacks. 

Inspite of the well documented nexus with global jihad that goes as far back as Nigerian 

Islamist fighters being captured fighting alongside the Taliban during the US invasion of 

Afghanistan, and Bin Laden's personal secretary admitting to traveling to Nigeria in a 

New York court, the US continues to discount the full global antecedents and intents of 

BokoHaram. 

2World Watch Monitor, Widest Church Groupings Raises Fund~for Roko Haram's 

almost 800 Victims in 201 2, March 8, 2013, 

http://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2013/03-March/2331194/ 

Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 3 
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85552b-4.eps

So while the President is on point in his description of Boko Haram as one of the most 

vicious terrorist organizations in the world, his administration's response has been 

anything but precise. 

IT.A Deadly Misdiagnosis: How The U.S. Has Framed The Issue Improperly 

Part of the State Department's response has been to deny the religious motivation of a 

rabid jihadist group that has repeatedly declared its goal of overthrowing the state and 

establishing a radical Muslim theocracy; to downplay the repeated threats to America 

going back several years by claiming this is all "local"; presenting arguments 

rationalizing terrorism by psycho-analyzing the emotional disconnect between the central 

government and northern Muslims who fuel the terrorism; pressing the government to 

throw money at the problem with no emphasis on victim compensation, and being more 

critical of the military counteroffensive than of the terrorists' atrocities. 

This has led to an absurd situation where the terror group has had to clarify its jihadist 

credentials in almost direct rebuttals of State Department characterizations. When the US 

said Boko Haram is "not religious" but economically motivated, the terrorists invested in 

a video to correct this misinformation.In a video released last week on November 3rd, 

Boko Haram leader Shekau claimed responsibility for the deaths of 35 people on an 

October 24 attack in the northern city of Damaturu. He stated: "This is a brief message to 

the world. We carried out the Damaturu attacks with Allah's help, with Allah's might, 

with Allah's glory and with victory from Allah, the Creator.,,3Shekau and his group are 

not shy about the fact that they kill in the name of their Creator. Tn regard to the FTO 

designation, BokoHaram is substantially ahead of the US - they have long since assumed 

that they have already been designated and they have designated the US a Foreign Target 

ObjectiveI 

3 http://news.yahoo.co m/boko- haram -video-cia i ms-octobe r- 24-attack- kill ed185857285.html 

Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 4 
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85552b-5.eps

A decade ago T visited a Nigerian community devastated by flooding. The US and 

Nigerian governments built 400 free houses for them. When I went to the houses, I saw 

northern children wearing Osama bin Laden hats. What was shocking to me is that US 

diplomats are aware of the intense anti-American sentiments in northern Nigeria but 

somehow the US misrepresents this as being "local". 

But beyond the farcical elements of State's misinterpretations of Boko Haram's clear 

message and intent, there are more troubling assertions that could portend great harm to 

America's biggest ally in sub-Saharan Africa. 

First, the Department of State asserts that the north feels distanced from the central 

government headed by President Jonathan and has been politically marginalized. This 

statement was made less than one year after he was elected. Could the president in ot1ice 

forless than 1 year be responsible for the neglect of the north, which has occupied the 

presidency for 70% of the nation's history~ Row would State explain the riots in 12 

states that destroyed over 500 churches, which occurred even before President Jonathan's 

electoral victory was announced? The fact remains that the backwardness of the north is a 

reality that dates back to British colonial rule and one that cannot now be reassigned 

vicariously to Nigeria's Federal government. 

State's proposed solution was for Nigeria to give more money and positions to the 

Muslim north which it specifically distinguished from central Nigeria which is majority 

Christian and especially to cuddle "Rausa Fulani" leaders. 

Here is the reality: The north already has the majority of top government positions 

including 80% of the most senior positions - Senate President, House Speaker, Chief 

Justice and Vice President. Only the President is not from the north. 

But in its tribalist-based assessment of the situation in Northern Nigeria, State singled out 

the Rausa Fulani for rapprochement whereas the hub of the insurgency is the Kanuri tribe 

in the northeast. In fact, the Hausa Fulani are not only considered to have oppressed 

Testimony of Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 5 
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85552b-6.eps

minorities in the north but also the rest of the country as well! How did the Department of 

State miss it so badly on a simple cultural and historic fact? This is as bad as saying the 

Redskins should apologize for using that name - to the British. 

Even worse is the US prescription for more money to the north in furtherance of the 

sophist argument that this is "economic". By reinterpreting the jihadist movement in its 

own image State has succeeded in negotiating a ransom on behalf of terrorists demanding 

"protection money" from the federal government in violation of all the principles of 

federalism. The Federal government of Nigeria does more for its individual states than the 

US government does for its states, providing generally 80% of many states' budgets. 4 

The ultimate danger here is that the US is opening a slippery slope to the 

institutionalization of mass murder as a legitimate pathway to more federal resources. 

This could create a precedent that if you blow up churches. the US will advocate on your 

behalf (not on behalf of victims) to eam you a federal ministry. The end result would be 

horrendous - different segments of the 360+ tribes who have "legitimate grievances" will 

seize upon terrorism as the way forward and Nigeria will know no peace ever againl The 

rule oflaw will be completely eviscerated. 

On Easter Monday last year at a CSIS event in Washington, DC the top US diplomat for 

Africa then. Ambassador Johnnie Carson declared. "1 want to stress that religion does not 

drive extremism in Jos or northern Nigeria" despite the fact that 38 innocent Nigerians 

were killed in terrorist bombings the day before during Easter celebrations and despite 

the fact that Boko Haram has attacked Christians hundreds of times. His solution: "(The 

Government of Nigeria) will have to develop an economic recovery strategy that 

compliments its security strategy .. The Nigerian government should consider creating a 

Ministry of Northern Affairs or a development commission." 

4 Niaraland.com Forum, Internally Generated Revenue- Lagas, Sakata Lead the Way, 

July 23, 2009, http://www.nairaland.com/300410/nigeria-igr-internallygenerated-revenue 

Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 6 
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85552b-7.eps

To state that religion does not playa role in the extremism exhibited by the terrorist 

group is disingenuous at best and deeply insensitive to victims. To propose that it can be 

fixed with a commission is naive. The US sent out billions in cash that was physically 

distributed around Iraq, but still signally failed to win hearts and minds to stem 

insurgency. To propose a repeat methodology and expect different results certainly meets 

Einstein's threshold of insanity. 

America's missed opportunity in properly understanding and promptly responding to the 

Boko Haram threat has misled the Government of Nigeria, weakened its response and 

resulted in numerous lives lost plus a heightened and highly evolved threat to the US 

homeland and global community. 

If after September lIth, the global community had responded by pontificating on 

America's perceived sins to the Arab world instead of rallying around to jointly disavow 

terrorism, giant strides would not have been made in decimating Al Qaeda. This is why 

the US response to a crucial African ally is unfair and unfortunate. 

Questions still arise - what happened to the Nigerian foreign fighters found fighting 

alongside Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan when NATO troops invaded in 2001 ~ 

They did not go to Gitmo so were they released to return to Nigeria and start the Nigerian 

Taliban? The intelligence gaps here are deep and wide ... Regardless of what happened a 

dozen years ago, the intelligence lapses now are of the utmost concern. Last year, the 

fonnerAmbassador Johnnie Carson dissimulated before this committee on a simple 

question: whether there were Iranian anns in Nigeria - a matter that was before the UN 

Security Council and had been reported in numerous media. He claimed ignorance. 

This was in spite of the fact that in violation of UN sanctions requested by the United 

States, Iran had surreptitiously shipped 13 containers of weapons into Nigeria, which the 

Nigerian government confiscaled and reported to the UN Security Council. As 

colleague stated: even if Ambassador Carson's defense is that he has not been reading 

Testimony of Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 7 
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85552b-8.eps

cables from the US embassy in "Ii geri a, what is his excuse for not reading the 

Washington Post? The Iran anns story appears ill the most elementary Google search 

Those rocket-propelled grenades were reportedly linked to staff of the Iranian embassy in 

Abuja, Nigeria. The Iranian Foreign Minister flew into Nigeria and, invoking diplomatic 

immunity, rescued a suspected Iranian official from hiding in the embassy and flew him 

home. 

Here is where it gets interesting. The Nigerian government, embarrassed and miffed by 

this total violation of diplomatic norms, reported this arms shipment to the United 

Nation's Security Council as a violation of resolutions and sanctions sought for and 

obtained by the US against Iran. 

When Ambassador Carson denied knowledge of arms shipments from Iran to Nigeria, it 

simply was incredible for the top diplomat for Africa, and a former intelligence officer at 

that, to claim not to know of a serious international incident rising to the level of the UN 

Security Council on an issue driven by the US. 

In the wake of the attacks of September 11th, Nigeria's then president Obasanjo t1ew to 

Washington to condole with President Bush. A dozen years later, President Obama 

avoided Nigeria, its biggest trading partner in the continent, on his second Mrica trip 

reportedly citing abuses by the security forces. 

III. US Actions and Inactions 

The US has lagged behind in humanitarian assistance. It hasnot providedanything to 

victims of the Boko Haram terrorism crisis. Even less still is said to the Federal 

Government about providing victim assistance. Nigeria's President announced last week 

that he would not provide compensation for victims. 

USAlD has a PEACE project that researches extremism in target countries. Inspite of the 

data that puts Nigeria at the front of terror activity, USAID has not made Nigeria a 

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85552b-9.eps

priority country. Tn fact, in its bidding documents, it lists Nigeria specifically as an 

example of a country that doesn't suffer extremism, but does not make an effort to study 

the situation to prove or disprove its assumption. 

The US has presented an award to a hardline Muslim Imam who would not let American 

officials into his mosque. At the same time, it has labeled Christian ministers whose 

congregants are being slaughtered in the thousands as "radical", which is ironic given the 

manner civil rights pastors were marked in America's own history. 

In regards to regional security cooperation, the US looked beyond the oil producing 

region to include northern Nigeria in its Bi-national Commission. However, where it 

donated a ship to the Nigerian Navy years ago for the NigerDeita, there islittle technical 

assistance against the Boko Haram terrorism. At the time a Nigerian policeman died 

while detonating bombs with his bare hands, there is talk of US providing bomb 

detonation robots - a full two years after bombings began. Interestingly, the US rushed to 

provide bomb detectors in Nigerian airports after the failed airplane bombing by a 

Nigerian AQIM operative Abdul Mutallab. 

On intelligence cooperation, it is unclear what is occurring.President Obama reportedly 

cancelled his Nigeria visit on account of satellite pictures showing a major gun battle in 

the fishing hamlet of Baga. If the US had access to such satellite images, why didn't they 

alert the Nigerian authorities to the fact that Boko Haram had captured significant 

amounts of territory and was flying its flag in several captured counties0 

In the same vein, while the US was working to contain the spread of post-Qaddafi anTIS 

in Libya and recovered 800 out of 5000 missing missiles, not much was done to contain 

their influx into Nigeria since 2011. Sadly, history repeated itself when arms from 

northern Mali once again flowed into northern Nigeria following the US-backed, Frenchled and Nigeria-supported counteroffensive against the jihadists. Although the US consul 

general did raise public concern, it is unclear if strategic containment mechanisms were 

initiated. 

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85552b-10.eps

One historic footnote that deserves mention is that even the Niger Delta militancy that 

threatened US oil supplies and shot up global oil prices was a direct product of Libyan 

state-sponsored terrorism - financing, arming and Mujaheed training. Again, a terror 

export to Nigeria that somehow fell through the cracks. 

The most worrisome aspect of US action is the announcement of a new consulate in 

northern Nigeria. Carson indicated that the US is opening a consulate in Kano to 

achieve closer ties with the region. The problem is that the US embassy in Abuja is not 

allowing ANY American officials travel outside the capital due to fear of attack. It 

routinely issues advisories to American visitors that the cities' prominent hotels are under 

threats for being "western." Isn't it a brilliant idea to place more American lives and 

property at great expense in grave danger at the height of a low-grade insurgency that 

claimed more lives in one day than in either Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan in 2012? On 

Janumy 20, 20 l2 Boko Haram went on a large scale onslaught against security agencies 

in the northern Nigerian city of Kano. The police headquaners, bal1'acks, intelligence 

headquarters and police stations were amongst the numerous targets of simultaneous 

attacks that left over 200 people dead. It was to be the highest single day death toll in any 

global connict in 2012 until Syria tied with Kano much later in the vear 

Three months later in April, 2012, Johnnie Carson declared that the US was going to 

open a consulate in Kano and that the State Department had "pots of money" ready to 

recruit Americans to go there. This was in a city where the police had shuttered severa! of 

their police stations after the Januaty 20 siege because they could not defend their own 

stations, let alone the US consulate. 

TV. Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation 

Finally, the US has not designated Boko Haram an FTO. This tool which would enable 

tracing and freezing of terror financing and potentially arms has been steadfastly 

squirreled away in a lockbox and the key thrown away. TheUS has designated Shekau 

Testimony of Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 10 
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85552b-11.eps

and two other men associated with Boko Haram as terrorists. This year, in another classic 

non-starter, it went ahead to offer a $7 million bounty for the capture of Abu Shekau. 

Here is the problem - capturing the head without destroying the terrorists organization is 

not a winning strategy.Fonner Boko Haram leader Mohammad Yusuf was replaced by 

Shekau. More importantly, even the multi-million dollar Bin Laden bounty did not result 

in his capture. It was old-fashioned, dogged police work plus Special Forces that got the 

job done. 

According to the U.S. Department of State, "FIO designations playa critical role in our 

fight against terrorism and are an effective means of curtailing support for terrorist 

activities and pressuring groups to get out of the terrorism business." 5 The U.S. has 

designated three Boko Haram radicals as terrorists, and the group's financing has been 

traced to groups that have already been designated FIOs by the United States. 

In addition to being linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, Boko Haram's funding 

has been traced to other Al-Qaeda linked organizations in the Middle East6 Some of 

these other organizations include: the Islamic World Society (with headquarters in Saudi 

Arabia), and Al-Muntada Trust Fund (a Britain based organization). 7 Boko Haram's 

worldwide sources of funding demonstrate that the group is more than a ragtag bunch of 

Nigerians. Tn fact, Shekau has boasted that his group is now strong enough to 

"comfortably confront" the United States. 8 

Doesn't it seem strange that there has been an incredible amount of hesitation to 

designate Boko Haram as an FTO when Boko Haram itself has labeled the US a Foreign 

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Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 11 
43


85552b-12.eps

Target Objective? Tn fact, Boko Haram meets the criteria for the FTO designation in 

accordance with section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The criteria are as 

follows: I) The organization must be foreign based. 2) The organization engages in 

terrorist activity or terrorism, or retains the capability and intent to engage in terrorist 

activity or terrorism. 3) The terrorist activity or terrorism of the organization threatens the 

security of United States nationals or national security of the United States 9 

Let me take a moment to expound on the third point. Boko Haram has attacked US 

nationals. I repeat - Boko Haram has attacked US citizens. During the bombing of the UN 

HQ in Abuja, there were several Americans known to be in the building who survived the 

attack. One was an American ofticial stationed at the US embassy in Nigeria and the 

second was an American civilian working for the UN whom I was supposed to see at the 

UN that day. I was in Nigeria on the day of the bombing. Yet the U.S. has made no 

public statement about the survivors of that horrific attack.Since then,Boko Haram has 

attempted to abduct an American in northern Nigeria. 

In conclusion, please permit me to juxtapose two geopolitical giants on the African 

continent. While one can understand the reluctance to recognize what happened in Egypt 

as a coup for fear of imposing sanctions by cutting aid to its topmost north African ally, 

how does one rationalize the reluctance to designate terrorism that would impose 

sanctions restricting terror financing to a vicious organization fighting the USA's topmost 

sub-Saharan ally~ 

Nigeria is doubtlessly a strategic security partner in the region and on the globe, and 

currently participates in 9 UN peacekeeping operations worldwide. The US has no troops 

in UN Peacekeeping operations since Somalia's Black Hawk down incident while 

Nigerian troops are currently in Somalia. Historically, the Nigerian army has paid 

considerably in lives and billions of dollars to end the war in Liberia - America's African 

child. Even this year, Nigerian troops joined the French anny in dislodging Taureg 

Testimony of Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 12 
44


85552b-13.eps

jihadists who took over northern Mali, while America stayed safely away by providing 

only limited logistic support. It is not a stretch to say that Nigeria has had boots on the 

ground in numerous situations of strategic interest to the US where the US could not or 

would not. 

The Nigerian anny does not receive up to one tenth ofaid that the United States provides 

to the Egyptian army. However, Nigeria's army has done more for continental security, 

global peacekeeping and directly protecting US strategic interests than the Egyptian 

army. Is this the way to treat a strategic ally and regional stabilizer~ 

Terrorism in Northern Nigeria negatively affects the sub region as a whole. Chad, Niger 

and Cameroun are reeling from the influx of refugees and cross border infiltration. 

Further, Nigeria is the 6th largest supplier of oil to the United States. 40 percent of its oil 

supply, or 281,291,000 barrels per year are exported to the United States. to The 

instability of Nigeria would undoubtedly have a negative effect on the amount of oil it 

produces and ships to the United States. Such a decrease in oil supply would be 

considerable if the former Niger Delta militancy was anything to go by, with potential 

consequences ranging from a drastic increase in gas prices, to a more vulnerable United 

States in regard to national security. 

Essentially, the body language of the administration seems to hint - Boko Haram is your 

problem, not ours. This is well illustrated by the recent extradition from Nigeria to the US 

for trial of a Nigerian who acted as a translator/recruiter for another terrori st organization 

AQAP which has been designated an FTOll Meanwhile chainsaw-wielding, suicidebombing terrorists have not been labelled terrorists? This mentality is dangerous, and it is 

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Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 13 
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85552b-14.eps

my hope that the U.S. policy will be modified as soon as possible in order to adequately 

deal with Boko Haram - the vicious terrorist organization. 

V. CONCLUSION 

If the fundamental step of any 12-step recovery program is admitting there is a problem, 

then the US is stuck on ground zero. It concedes there is a problem but has enrolled in 

Alcoholics Anonymous instead of a Jihad Unanimous rehab group. The resulting 

prescriptions are bound to have contraindications from misdiagnosis. 

Hopefully we are at the cusp of a new dawn following personnel changes at State that 

may well usher in a new policy. When State argued that designating Boko Haram would 

give it global street cred, Boko Haram was 5

th on global terrorism indices. This year, it is 

second. This rise has occurred without the boost of an FTO designation. 

To its credit, the Secretary Kerry's State Department has issued a $7 million bounty for 

the capture of Abu Shekau, Bolm Haram's blood-thirsty Osama wanna be. But aside from 

the proven ineffectual nature of this approach to the classic decade-long pursuit of Bin 

laden, this match. com strategy for combatting terrorism is clearly a long shot in the dark 

The US needs to move from retail piece-meal designation of favorite terrorists to 

wholesale designation of the entire organization. Half-hearted and half-baked measures 

are exactly how a Nigerian suicide bomber got on a flight to Detroit with a bomb in his 

underpants on Christmas Eve 2009 even though his father had walked into the American 

embassy and warned them about his son. 

Chairman Smith is the lead sponsor of H.R. 3209, the Boko Haram Terrorist 

Designation Act of2013. I strongly urge members of Congress of both parties to actively 

support the enactment of H.R. 3209. This does not need to be a partisan issue or a 

polarizing issue. This is a basic human rights issue. On behalf of many victims and their 

families, thank you, Chairman Smith, for your uncommon and unwavering care and 

concern for our common humanity. 

Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 14 
46


85552b-15.eps

Mrs. Deborah is carried to her son's casket. Boko Haram 

killed her husband and then abducted her two daughters 

ages 9 and 7. A few months later, they returned to her 

home and asked why she still hadn't converted. They then 

killed her son and his friend a fellow Boys' Scout. 

Testimony of Mr. Emmannel Ogebe, Esq. (Jubilee Campaign) Page 15 
47

Mr. SMITH. Mr. Ogebe, thank you very much for your testimony, 

your extraordinary leadership because I think you have been a consistent voice and certainly have been helpful to this subcommittee 

for years, so I do thank you for that and for the stories that you 

have recounted just a moment ago. 

Mr. OGEBE. If I may, sir, I submit my written testimony for the 

record. 

Mr. SMITH. Without objection, it will and any information you 

would like to attach to it, documents of whatever kind will be made 

a part of the record. 

Mr. Adamu, please proceed. 

STATEMENT OF MR. HABILA ADAMU, SURVIVOR OF VIOLENCE 

BY BOKO HARAM 

Mr. ADAMU. Chairman Smith, Members of the Congress, it is a 

great opportunity for me to be here to testify on behalf of all 

wounded Christians, persecuted Christians, widows, and orphans 

of Nigeria. 

My name is Habila Adamu. I am from Yobe, in the northern part 

of Nigeria. On 28 November, gunmen came to my house around 11 

p.m. and confronted me with my family. I thought they were Nigerian Army patrol. When I opened the door of my sitting room, I am 

shocked when I see them. I went back. Now my wife moved forward in order to beg them not to kill me, to leave me a life. She 

offered them money. They collected the money and our cell phones. 

The leader told my wife that they are there to do the work of Allah. 

When I heard that, I know that that day I would see my Lord. I 

prayed a short prayer. I said, ‘‘Lord, I am a sinner. Here I am. I 

cannot save myself. Lord, forgive me. I write my name in the Book 

of Life. Save my soul, Lord.’’ When I prayed, I move forward because they were there for me. The leader asked me ‘‘Habila, can 

we get the key of the door’’ because I am in my sitting room. I gave 

them the key of the main door. They opened the door. I know two 

people came inside, making four into my home, with AK–47s. 

They asked my name and I told them, Habila Adamu. They 

asked me are you in the Nigerian Army? I said no. Are you a Nigerian police? I said no. Are you an SSS? I said no. I am a businessman. Because if I told them I am working with the government 

they would have slaughtered me like a lamb. I told them that I am 

a businessman. They said are you a Christian? I said yes, I am a 

Christian. They asked me why are we preaching the message of 

Mohammed and you refuse to accept Islam religion? And I told 

them I am a Christian. We are also preaching the message and the 

good news to those that do not know God and to you. 

He told me, ‘‘Habila, do you mean that you Christians know 

God?’’ I said, ‘‘Yes, we know God. That is what I am preaching to 

you.’’ He called my wife. He said, ‘‘Let her witness what will happen to her husband.’’ He said, ‘‘Habila, you can deny your faith in 

order to be saved and live a good life.’’ And I told him that ‘‘No, 

I am a Christian. I would rather die as a Christian.’’ He told my 

wife, ‘‘Plead with your husband that you will live a good life.’’ And 

I told him, ‘‘I am a Christian.’’ He said, ‘‘I will give you last chance, 

deny your faith, Habila or are you ready to die as a Christian?’’ I 

told him, ‘‘I am ready to die as a Christian.’’ Before I closed my 

48

mouth one of them fired at me with an AK–47. It passed through 

my nose. This is the entering place of the bullet, an AK–47. This 

is the exit place of the bullet, an AK–47. I fell down on my face, 

blood is rushing everywhere. One of them followed me, stepped on 

me two times to confirm whether I am still alive or I am dead. 

They have found out I am dead. They shout, ‘‘Allah Akbar’’ means 

Allah is great. They went out. 

Even my wife thought that I am dead. She is crying, saying 

many things. She said, ‘‘Lord, why? Why did you let these things 

happen? Why you leave my husband to die at this moment? I have 

little ones. What I can tell them about their father?’’ She said, 

‘‘Lord, I thank you because I am aware my husband is inside of 

you. Lord, give me the heart to stand in the end and help my children to stand in their faith.’’ When I heard that I said, ‘‘Oh, I am 

still in the world. Lord, why me?’’

Now because I won’t want to have to sin against God I raised my 

head and told her I am still alive. I did not die. She is shocked. 

She said the way you are bleeding you will not survive. And I told 

her that even though I will not survive, I have a message to everyone that will hear my story when I leave this world. Please send 

this message that to live in this world is to live for Christ, to die 

is a gain. 

For a few minutes tense everywhere. I asked her to go out and 

look for help, somebody to help me. All the Christians around, they 

were killed that night. I am the only survivor. From 11 o’clock until 

7 a.m., my face was swollen, my eyes were closed. I am still alive. 

Many Christians that remain in Potiskum, each one will touch me 

and would cry, they said, ‘‘Habila, until we meet in heaven, no one 

must die who will survive.’’ I asked myself, why me? I said, Lord, 

why me, take my life, Lord. He keeps me for a reason. 

I am pleading, Americans, I am pleading, I am crying on behalf 

of all wounded Christians and past dead Christians in Nigeria. Let 

this killing of innocent people stop. Let Nigeria hear the cry of the 

widows and the orphans to pay for their school fees, to pay for their 

feeding and also pay for the wounded soldiers. Let them rebuild the 

broken churches and the houses. I also take this opportunity to appreciate what the Voice of Christian Martyrs does to me. They 

have paid for my operation, they have paid for my housing, my 

feeding. The government did not stand for me, but they stand for 

me and Americans can stand for me. Thank you so much. Thank 

you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Adamu follows:]

49


85552c-1.eps

Congressional Testimony of Habila Adamu 

On the Continuing Threat of Bol<o Haram 

Before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global 

Human Rights, and International Organizations 

and the 

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Non-proliferation and Trade 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

U.S. House of Representatives 

November 13, 2013 
50


85552c-2.eps

MY STORY 

I Habila Adamu from Yobe state in Northern Nigeria. On November 28, 2012, 

gunmen came to my home at around 11:00 pm and confronted me with my 

family. I thought they were soldiers on patrol, and when they opened the 

door, I was shocked to see that they were wearing robes and masks. 

The gunmen ordered me to come out with my family. And when I came out, 

they ordered my family to go back, and my wife begged them not to harm me. 

They said she should go back, because they were here to do the work of Allah. 

When I heard that, I knew that they were here to kill me. And my wife brought 

money to them and begged them not to harm me, they collected the money 

and they also collected our cell phones. They asked me for the key of the door, 

and I gave it. One of them opened the door another two more people come 

inside, making them four in my house with Ak47. 

They asked for my name and I told them, Habila Adamu. They asked if I am a 

member of Nigeria Police, I said no. Are you a Nigeria soldier? I said no. You 

are a member of the state security service (555), I said no, I told them that I am 

a business man. 

"Okay, are you a Christian?" I said I am a Christian. They asked me why are we 

preaching the message of Mohammed to you and you refuse to accept Islam. I 

told them I am a Christian, we are also preaching the gospel of true God to you 

and other people that are not yet to know God. They asked me if I mean we 

Christian know God. And I told them we know God and that is why I preach the 

good news to other people that do not know God. 

Then they asked me, "Habila, are you ready to die as a Christian?" I told them, 

"I am ready to die as a Christian." For the second time, they asked me, "Are 

you ready to die as a Christian?" and I told them, "I am ready," but before I 

closed my mouth, they have fired me through my noise ( the entering point) 

and the bullet came out through the back. I fell on the ground. The gunmen 

thought I was already dead because they stomped on me two times and 

discovered I was dead, and cried out "Allah Akbar" (God is Great). Also my wife 

thought I was dead, she is crying, while crying she said many things, she said 

let God give her the heart that she can stand to the end like what I did, let God 

give my children the heart that they may stand in their faith. When she 

continues saying all those things, I told her that I am alive. 5he said that but 

even though you are alive, the way you are bleeding, you will not survive. And I 

told her that even though I will die I have a message to everyone that will hear 
51


85552c-3.eps

my story after I leave this world that "to live in this world is to live for Christ, to 

die is a gain" that is my message. I asked her to look for help. And she went 

out; she found out that our Christian neighbors have been killed. We have one 

elder in my church, (Jibring Matinja) himself and his son were killed that night, 

including twelve others. 

I was on the ground from 11:00 pm till 7:00am in the morning, bleeding. In the 

morning my face was swollen, my eyes were red. Before morning I could not 

see anything, around 7:00 am I was rushed to a hospital in Potiskum, for 

medication, from then they transferred me to Jos University Hospital (JUTH) 

same day. I am alive because God want you to have a message. I have a 

message, just as I told my wife as I was left for dead, I have a message to 

everyone that will hear my story. Do everything that you can to end this 

ruthless religious persecution in Northern Nigeria. My friends knowing Christ 

are deeper, than hearing of his name or knowing his story. 

I also like to express my appreciation to God almighty and the Voice of 

Christian Martyrs for their supports, in standing by my side throughout, they 

paid for my operation, and paid for my housing, they paid for my feeding etc. 

Let God bless them abundantly. 

Thank you!!! 

He is the resurrection and the life, in the book of John 11:25 says "I am the 

resurrection and the life he who believe in me will live, even though he dies." 
52


85552c-4.eps

THE SUFFERINGS OF NIGERIA CHRISTIANS IN 

NORTHERN NIGERIA 

Nigerian Christians had been under intense suppression and marginalization in 

the north for so many years, which has grown to the point where they are 

more like second class citizens in their own land of nativity without anyone 

speaking for them or listening to their plight. This is reflected to the struggle 

they do have to normal education in the secondary school and tertiary 

institutions, in spite their resilience and hard work to studies which had been 

the bedrock of Christianity. Many of them who had read wide and far were 

denied employment opportunities and even when they were employed, they 

remained in one place for the rest of their lives. Worst of all is that, Christians 

with higher qualifications were forced to work under the supervisions of 

Muslims who had lower or less qualification. Most of the Northern State 

Government had established Ministries of religious affairs which cater only for 

the Islamic religion with all staff 100% Muslim staff without the consideration 

of the Christians. The Christians does not have the right to lands to build 

Churches where they will worship freely anymore. This subjugation and 

sabotage of their right and privileges had been ongoing for many years. In 

recent times, we saw expansion and occupation of the Muslims from the far 

north to the central part of Nigeria through calculated attacks on Christian 

communities in cities such as Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Bauchi where several lives 

and hundreds of churches had been destroyed. 

Most times these attacks are hidden under guise of provocation which made it 

to look like Christian and Muslim crisis. Many Nigerian stakeholders who are 

Muslim took side and kept suppressing the Christian and taking over their land 

and their houses without any complete and fulfilled investigations by the 

federal or state Governments. Because the perpetuators were not punished all 

the times these act of violence against the Christians kept continuing until now 

that it has grown to a level of total annihilation plan of the Christians in the 

North Using the so-called Boko haram terrorist group which had alliance with 

other international terrorist groups. The fundamentalist group had executed 

over 900 Christians in the last two years and over two thousand innocent 

Christians had died since 2009 when the group first attacks the Christian 

community in Maiduguri. These they do systematically with different methods 

of killings in different parts of the country. In The north Eastern part of Nigeria 

where Christian population is about 10% or less: They had been going towns to 

town's villages to villages and house to house of Christians and executing them 
53


85552c-5.eps

in cold blood. Some Christians from those areas were killed in their business 

places and at the moment the Muslim's had comfortably taken over that 

business. They killed barbarically by gunshot, cutlass and machetes brutal 

killings while many were slaughtered like animals in their homes. They started 

with the killing of the Christian leaders, and Top Christian Civil servants in the 

Federal Governments and the few who had held some recognized offices in the 

state civil service and local Governments, then to every other Christians. 

These kinds of killing were not in any way reported by the media; even when it 

is reported, they are always seen as one of those things, without any 

investigation, no indictment and no justice. At the moment most of the 

Christian and their Churches had been evacuated from those areas; especially 

Borno and Yobe states and for the few that are still living there who had 

nowhere to run to, They are like condemn criminals waiting for the day of their 

execution by the Islamic fundamentalist who seems to be unstoppable by the 

Nigeria government in their own mother land as though they are fugitives 

claiming the lives of over 340 Christians. 

In places such as Bauchi State, with two Local Governments which are 95% 

Christians, the State Government itself had been terrorizing the Christian 

populace and given a brooding ground for the fundamentalists who had 

attacked over 35 villages killing over 280 Christians in the last two years. They 

attacked on their way to the state capital for businesses and other functions, 

on their farms while working and in their homes mostly in the night while 

sleeping. Many of the Christians had remained homeless and several of them 

had moved away from their villages as refugees in other parts of the 

neighbouring state. 

These attacks continued in other North central states such as Plateau State and 

Kaduna state where several villages are being wiped out leaving several deaths 

and casualties which are always wrongly reported to seems as if it's a 

communal clash. These had claimed over 700 Christian lives in the last two 

years and over 50 villages in different parts of Plateau State had been 

completely destroyed and sent out of those locality. As if this is not enough, 

the group had attacked several churches and the Christians during church 

services in different parts of the North with one attacker being brought to 

book. These killings of Christians almost every day had clearly shows the 

commitment of the Islamic fundamentalists in establishing an Islamic state by 

total annihilation of Christians in the North. More than 350 Christians had died 

in these suicide bomb attacks. 
54


85552c-6.eps

THE RESULT OF ALL THE ATTACKS: 

As result of all these attacks, the Christian community in Northern Nigeria had 

been left with the following predicaments: 

,. Lost of human dignity and subjugation to threats and fear with daily 

psychological trauma because of their faith. 

,. Daily increase of widows and orphans that kept becoming a fundamental 

burden on the Christian community. 

'r Lost of Churches and places of worship in Hundreds that denied them of the 

right to worship. 

,. Increase in the number of disable and disfigured Christians as a result of 

direct attack e.g. over 45 amputees with leg and hands amputations in 

Plateau State alone, 7 - 8 people with total and one eye blindness and 

several other disabilities and disfigurement. 

,. Over 240 Christians Villages deserted and over 5000 Christian's homeless. 
55

Mr. SMITH. Thank you so very much for that very powerful testimony. I would just note parenthetically that it was the Voice of 

Christian Martyrs and Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, his book, Tortured for Christ, as the book that got me in 1981 into the religious 

freedom issue. He was held by the Romanian Securitate, tortured 

almost to death several times, and then wrote a book when he finally got out about the persecuted Church which has been revolutionary in mobilizing people around the world to stand up for the 

persecuted Church. So thank you for being such a hero and for telling all of us that we need to do more. Thank you so very much. 

Mr. ADAMU. Sir, I submit for the record, I submit my testimony 

for the record. 

Mr. SMITH. Without objection, it will be made a part of the 

record. 

Mr. Zenn, thank you, and welcome. 

STATEMENT OF MR. JACOB ZENN, RESEARCH ANALYST, THE 

JAMESTOWN FOUNDATION 

Mr. ZENN. Thank you very much, Chairman, for the opportunity 

to speak here. It is also an honor to be speaking next to these distinguished panelists, especially it is important that Mr. Adamu is 

here to provide a personal face to issues that can seem so far away 

to people here in America. 

Part of my objective of being here today is to share some analysis 

on this group because only through strong analysis and understanding of where this group is operating, how it is funded, who 

are its members can we actually develop strategies to counter it beyond symbolic gestures. 

I have, however, included some policy options for the U.S. in my 

written testimony and the Wall Street Journal article that was 

published yesterday called ‘‘Boko Haram Isn’t Only Nigeria’s Problem.’’

Now there are two main reasons why Boko Haram is not only 

Nigeria’s problem. I would like to start by noting that in 2002, 

Boko Haram set up an Afghanistan compound modeled after the 

Taliban, two miles from the Niger border. After it engaged in clashes with the local community and security forces, its members fled 

across to the border to Niger. In 2004, Boko Haram organized its 

first attacks on the security forces in the Mandara Mountains between Nigeria and Cameroon, again its members fled into Cameroon after those attacks. In 2009, in July, there were for 4 days 

a series of attacks between Boko Haram and security forces. Thirty 

percent of Boko Haram members fled into the border region after 

those attacks, one member fled to Somalia and later masterminded 

the attacks on the U.N. headquarters in 2011. It is also after 2009 

that Boko Haram went underground and it no longer solicited its 

funding sources from traditional mainstream sources. As a result, 

although the FTO label can help effectuate a crackdown on mainstream funding to Boko Haram, most of its funding is now local 

and informal. And therefore, it will require other measures and 

strategies at the more local level to counter Boko Haram funding. 

In May 2013, the Nigeria security forces again launched an offensive against Boko Haram as part of a state of emergency, but again 

Boko Haram fled into the border region. Its leader, Abubakar 

56

Shekau, who has a $7 million bounty on his head, has been reported in Mali, Niger, and Cameroon all in the past year. Until efficient border strategy is implemented to crack down on Boko Haram 

involving Nigeria and its French-speaking neighbors and including 

leadership from the U.S. and France, no matter what policies we 

take here in Washington or the Nigerian security forces take, Boko 

Haram cannot be defeated. 

The U.S. should know, as well as any other country, how difficult 

it is to suppress an insurgency when the insurgents can go into a 

neighboring country and receive sanctuary. We have experienced 

this in Afghanistan. To give you an example, Algeria recently established 80 border posts in its country. That is an example of a 

country taking border security seriously. We need to see that type 

of collaboration in Nigeria. 

The second reason why Boko Haram is not only Nigeria’s problem is because of the breakaway faction Ansaru which is an alQaeda in the Islamic Maghreb extension in Nigeria. It is basically 

Nigerian members of al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb, who for the 

sake of efficiency have established an operation in Nigeria. I would 

submit, in fact, that the U.N. headquarters attack, the Federal Police headquarters attack, and the string of suicide bombings of 

churches in the middle belt of Nigeria in 2012 show the al-Qaeda 

in the Islamic Maghreb footprint more than the grassroots footprint 

of Boko Haram. Ansaru’s leaders and founders, for example, 

Barnawi and Kambar, who have been designated by terrorists by 

the U.S. received their training in Algeria in the 2000s and even 

operated with Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a famed kidnapper in the 

Sahel as early as the 1990s. 

The symbolism of Ansaru, which I have depicted in the written 

testimony, and its propaganda, are also consistent with al-Qaeda in 

the Islamic Maghreb and its attack style, kidnapping foreigners for 

kidnapping and ransom is also the same style as al-Qaeda in the 

Islamic Muslim in the Sahel. I would also submit that the French 

family that was kidnapped in Cameroon in February 2013, as well 

as the attack on a prison in Niamey, Niger in June 2013 to free 

Nigerian militants were also the work of Ansaru and international 

militant networks. 

As a result, I think this FTO label must target specifically 

Ansaru and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’wati wal-Jihad which is 

actually the official name of the group that we call Boko Haram, 

based in the border region. Boko Haram has, however, become a 

nebulous term to refer to all types of violence in Nigeria so in order 

to effectuate this FTO label, let us focus it specifically on these two 

groups and use other non-securitized measures to tackle 

radicalization in Nigeria, which relates to land conflicts between 

majority ethnic Muslim groups and Christian groups, as well as the 

result of foreign support of radical groups and that includes countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, that have supported the development 

of radical groups where Boko Haram also has its roots even in the 

1990s and 2000s. 

So thank you very much. I really appreciate the opportunity to 

speak here today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Zenn follows:]

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85552d-1.eps

"The Continuing Threat of Boko Haram" 

Testimony before the 

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International 

Organizations and Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade 

November 13, 2013 

Members ot- Congress, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

My name is Jacob Zenn. I mn a Research Analyst of African and Eurasian Affairs for The 

Jamestown Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own. 

Thank you for inviting me to testity before you today on the topic of "The Continuing 

Threat of Boko Haram." 

In this testimony, I will answer the following questions: 

How can the L:.S. support '\Iigeria counter terrorist groups? 

\vho is Boko IIaram and who is Ansaru? 

\V'here do Boko Haram and '\nsam get their funding? 

Are floko Haram and Ansam connected to al-Qaeda? 

Do Boko IIaram and Ansaru present a threat beyond Nigeria? 

1. HOIJ' call/he U.S. j,[ppm! Nc'2pia couJI/er /moliJi.f!,lOltpj-? 

fleloware 10 measures the U.S. can take to support Nigerian counter-terrorism efforts: 

Develop a 'Vlarshall Plan' for northeastern Nigeria and use those funds to build 

schools, hospitals, infrastructure, water sources and recreational facilities, especially 

after anny offensives clear out Boko lIaram insurgents. The progrmn would need to 

be transp;lrent and have strong leadership to ensure projects :lre implemented. 

Lahel Boko Hamm as a "foreign terrorist organization (FrO)," which could hring 

the power of international tlnancial ,md anti-money laundering institutions to bear 

on Boko Haram's financial sponsors. Otherwise, this label is me:mingless ,md should 

be ab:mdoned: ifBoko IIarmn is not:m FTO, then who is? 

j\,fentor Kigerian troops in counter-insurgency based on best practices learned from 

years of dealing with IEDs, urban warfare and ambushes in Iraq :md At;2;hanistan. 

Currently, the Leahy Act effectively bans U.S. support to l'\igeria's Joint Task l"orce 

(JTF) that is tlghting Boko IIamm. Even JTF units with positive human rights 

records are blacklisted because of Leahy's wide-reaching ban on entire units- rather 

than specific abusers. Leahy should be reexamined, or else Nigeria will continue to 

look to countries like Pakistan for mentorship, which is no recipe for success. 

Zenn 1 
58


85552d-2.eps

flormalize a sub-region;J p<lrtnership between Kigeria and its flrench-speaking 

neighbors (Cameroon, Chad and )Jiger), where Boko Haram retreats after launching 

attacks in )Jigeria. 'lhe U.S.-funded pan-Sahelian counter-terrorism initiatives are not 

tailored to deal with the unique drivers of the insurgency in Nigeria's borderLmds, 

where Boko Haram and other criminal gangs have been left unchecked for too long. 

The C.S. should also seek French support in this initiative. 

Assist Kigeria to draft emergency laws with fIst-track courts ;md specialist judges, 

prosecutors, defenders and investigators who can swiftly try cases of captured Boko 

Haram members. \Vavering Ooko Haram members who were forcibly conscripted 

may prefer prison to death at the hands ofJTF, anti-Boko IIaram civilian militias, or 

their own commanders, who kill and torhlre militants who disobey orders. C.S. 

lawyers who have experience in conflict resolution should partake in this initiative. 

Fund U.S. universities to teach II<lusa, FuLmi and other indigenous Africml 

languages. Only through sharper local source analysis Gm the U.S. enhance 

intelligence gathering on Ooko Haram and other African militant groups and engage 

effectively with the civil society org.mizations to implement grassroots-driven 

programs to counter Boko HaLm1 prop<lganda ;md recmitment. 

Recogni~e the distinct Oomo-Yobe and ethnic Kanuri dimension of Ooko Haram 

and incorporate local narratives to effectively counter Boko IIarmn's messaging and 

recnliting. 

\vork with religious leaders ;Uld professionals to build skills and acquisition centers 

in northeastern l'-igerian communities. This can he supported hy community 

development tlmds, which provide support for small-medium business start-ups. 

Create strategies to combat one of the biggest problems the Kigerian government 

faces in containing Boko Haram and other l'-igerian militant groups, which is that 

they have sympathizers in government that help them carry out "inside jobs." 

Partner with the Nigerian diaspora in the C.S. and UK and other countries to 

develop innovative and locally driven solutions to combat insurgent movements and 

corruption in Kigeria and promote accountability and transparency. 

2. jj/ho is "13oko Haram" alld IJ!ho is AtI!m1l( 

"Boko Haram" refers to an Islamist group based in norilieastern Nigeria. It was led by 

imam Mohammed Yusuf from 2002 to 2009. Yusufs teachings differed from mainstream 

IsLtmist fundamentalist groups in )Jigeria in two n1<lin W<lys: 1) he prohibited \vestern 

education; mld 2) he prohibited service in the secular Kigeria government. In addition, he 

Zenn 2 
59


85552d-3.eps

believed the only "legitimate" Sunni Islamic states and scholars in the modern d<ly are the 

Talibml, Csama bin Laden and al-Qaeda (particularly al-Qaeda in the Islamic 'vlaghreb). 

In July 2009, Yusufs followers and the ~igerian government engaged in <I four-day battle in 

nortlleastern ]\"igeria. The ~igerian security forces captured Yusuf at the house of a relative 

in Borno State's capital, 'vIaidugnri, and executed him after interrogation at a police station. 

They also killed up to 1,000 of his followers during the clashes: about 20-30 security officials 

were also killed. Yusufs execution - perceived as "martyrdom" - was recorded on a cell 

phone ,111d is now widely available on YouT ube 'l11d other websites. 

In July 2010, Yusufs former deputy Abubakar Shekau, who the security forces believed was 

killed in the July 2009 clashes, emerged as Boko IIaram's new leader. IIe issued a video 

message "on behalf of my mujahideen brothers in some '\t-rican territory called Nigeria ... to 

the soldiers of Allah in the Islamic State of Iraq in p<lrticuiar," and warned that "Jihad has 

just begun ... 0 ,\merica, die with your tllry." Since Shekau took over the leadership, 1\oko 

Haram-related violence in i"> igeria has been responsible for about 4,000 deaths in '-'igeria. 

Kote: Shekau gave "1\oko Haram" the name jama'atu Ah/iJ JlIIl1Ia I jriria'(J))!{lti iJla/-Jihad (Sunni 

Group for Preaching ,111d Jihad). No group in ~igeria <lctually calls itself Boko H<lram, which 

means "\X!estern education is sinful:" it is a nickmune from locals ,md the media. 

Boko Haran! is bami ill Borno State, Nigeria, }phoJe capital, Maiduguri, iJ 100 mile!" flM/ the 

Cameroon, Chad and Niger borden. Boko Hamm hal' allJ'ays been able to retreat, r~f!,fVflp alld m1Uit 

ill the border rigiOll lallnehing attaekJ itl Nigoia. Baka IIaram',r bare in Borno ir afro clo!"er to 

J udan and Libya LagOJ alld iJ a former Jtoppir,g Ll7ej'! Afli'UJIJ Of! the Jmy to hajj 

(pi{grimage) in Mecca, u#eh /l- another rmJOIi 11!~Y Boko COllfleet/om to the Sahel and Arab 

World are cloJ('1lhan itJ {(jnnedil)f1J n;ithin mar!y pall> II/Nigeria. The Kanl!riJ ojBomo had "embauieJ" 

if I modem-day Tunisia datillj', back to the 1300s alld diplomati,· rriation!" !1ith the Ottoman Turks it! 

the 170U!~ a time u'hen L1g0J anri J01lthen! Nigoia })!tre sti!! largefJ' tmkllOli'lI to tbe KanuliJ. 

Zenn 3 
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85552d-4.eps

Ansanl members are mostly )Jigeri,ms with milit,l11t origins d<lting back to their training in 

the Sahel ('v[auritania, Algeria, 'v[ali, Kiger) in the late 1990s and early 2000s with militants 

who later formed al-Qaeda in the Islamic _\laghreb (AQIM) .. i\nsaru became active in 

Kigeria first under the under the n'1111e "al-Qaeda in the Lands Beyond the Sahel" in 2011, 

but in 2012 changed its name to ;\nsanl (jama'atll AnJmi/ Ailis/imilla l'i 13i1adis SlIdall-the 

People for Supporting the 'vluslims in Black Africa). The name ch'l11ge may be attributed to 

al-Qaeda in the Islamic 'vlaghreb (AQIM) leader Abdelmalek Droukdel's advice to Saheliml 

militants that it is "better for you to be silent and pretend to be a 'domestic' 

movement ... There is no reason for you to show that we have an exp<lnsionary, jihadi, alQaeda or any other sort of project." 

Ansaru, which the CK designated as a proscribed terrorist h'TOUP in 2012, has been 

responsible for the following attacks, among others: 

Kidnapping and killing a British and Ttalian engineer of an Italian construction 

company in Sokoto in January 2012; 

Kidnapping and killing a Gennan engineer in Kano in May 2012 (which was claimed 

by and carried out with AQIj\l): 

Attacking the Special Anti-Robbery Squad prison in Abuja in '\Iovember 2012 and 

freeing dozens of prisoners; 

Kidnapping a I irenchman from the compound of an energy company near the 

border with )Jiger in Katsina State in December 2012 O,e remains in captivity). 

Ambushing a convoy of three buses carrying 180 Nigerian soldiers through Okene, 

Kogi State, en route to 'v!ali, killing two soldiers. Ansaru claimed the troops "were 

aiming to demolish the Islamic Empire of l'vbli" and warned African countries to 

"stop helping \vestern countries fight Muslims." 

Breaking into a prison :lnd kidnapping and killing seven foreigners from a 

construction site in northeastern )Jigeria's Bauchi State in February 2013. 

Ansaru was also likely responsible for the UN Headquarters bombing in Abuja on 

August 26, 2011 and the string of suicide bombings of churches in the Middle 

Belt in 20/1 and 2012. Its members may also have participated in the kidnapping of 

a seven-member French family in northern Cameroon on February 19, 2013 

(the f:lmily W:lS released weeks bter in exchange for $3 million and the release of 

Boko Haram members from Clmeroonian prisons). Pin<llly, its members particip<lted 

in 'v[okhtar Belmokhar's attacks at the energy plant in In Amenas, Algeria in 

Februrary 2013 and attacks in Arlit and Agadez, Niger in May 2013. 

Zenn 4 
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85552d-5.eps

Glle e:xample oltbe AcQ1N1-AlIJam wllrmtlon IJ mdellced ky tbeir symbollJm. -1 "be A(f!,e!ian natlollal 

emblem (Ie/I), tbe Salajht C/YJllpjor Pmlehll(Z alld Combat iqza (cultel), alld AtlJ'am iq~o (t~Zbt) ailllldllde 

dallll." IJ7IJen a Boko 11amm-/1I1.1wu (f}lIri[~' JJJa.l mmted in 2012, he 

came lIotj/Vm Boko Hamm !mt/lvm tbe "Clvllpj;vm tbe SlIlIJet." 

Combat IJ)aJ tbe pmiecmor to AcQLvI. 

Similar to 11cQI.U, AlIJaru depidJ itJe! ill Sabelian attire (left), uJ/Jile Boko Hamm, uhi,h iJ tbe ?Jlorr 

gIY!UP, depids itsel/III greetl miiitary jiltigueJ similar to tbe US. alld Nigerian mliitaties (rigbtJAn example 

lideo daim (leji) II! a p,i.fOll break 11bll/a ((mlailled the exad Jame 1Ia.,heed (IJ/amic mUJic) aJ Ihe 

PakiJtall-iJaJed Islamic iv/al'emellt a/ U,bekiJ-tall j- pmise aljibads ill lwiol!!' tbeatm a/ A/liea, 

i1lduding Nigeria. The 1Ia,heed i., ~Ylreme!y nue alld indude., IIJe chant " 111 alillraJt, Bllkll 11amm 

baJ/ieqllelltly rradmi alit to al:Qaeda, bllt al-cQaeda haJ riot "em/omd" Boko Hamm-likely beialiJe itJ 

kil/i;(~ olcililialls Jd'OIi/d be a detriment to al-Qaeda's im({ze. Iltbe illte!li~ellce (ammullityji1i1J to IY('{~12ize 

A71.raru\ illierna!ionai ((J!l7u:dirm.r, il lPili i71hibil operalirJllJ qgaiml if.\' neiJFork.r in /he Jl!lllre. 

Zenn 5 
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85552d-6.eps

3. lFhm df) Bf)kf) IIanlm al1d Amalu gel fheirjillldiJ(g? 

Before July 2009, Boko Haram received funding through Salafist and other Sunni IsLlmic 

org,mizations, such as those in Saudi Arabia, Sud,m ,md Libya. Some of these org,mizations 

were likely connected to the UK. Boko Haram was also supported by Kigerian politicians, 

who wanted to curry favor with the group (since it was popular) and to benefit from "hiring" 

its rank-and-t11e al-ma)ili Islamic student members to carry out local vendettas on rivals. Such 

connections between politicians and 1>oko Haram likely still exist, but not as much as before 

July 2009. Since 2010, Boko Haram h<ls also robbed dozens of banks in northern Kigeria 

and stolen cattle and other valuable items trom locals in northern 'ligeria. ,\nsam and 1>oko 

IIarmn both have received significant funding from AQIM and kidnappings-for-ransom. 

4. ""ire Bf)kll I Iaram and J1l1.lam (()fmeded to alcQaeda? 

Yes, ,\nsam is an extension of '\QIM in '\Iigeria and is connected to the broader 

international al-Qaeda network. Boko IIaram has beneEtted from connections to AQIM and 

al-Shabaab for weapons procurement, safe havens and receiving training in the Sahel, 

although al-Qaeda has never declared it an affiliate. Doko Haram's killing of innocent 

civilians has likely alienated al-Qaeda, which already has a "public relations" problem of 

being perceived as killing too many innocent civilians; this is one reason why Ansam 

formally mmounced that it broke away from Boko Hamm in 2011. 

5. Do Boko Hamm aIlIL1J1JaI7l pm'enl a Ihreal beyond Nigeria? 

Yes, they both can carry out attacks throughout West Africa. Ansaru has operated with 

AQIM from Algeria to :\Jiger to Nigeria. Boko IIamm, however, has confined its attacks to 

1'-. igeria 99% of the time, but uses bases in '\Iiger, Cameroon and Chad to retreat, regroup 

and recruit. However, both org,mizations, especi<llly Boko Haram, have not developed a 

sophisticated online "outreach strategy" to connect with potential sympathizers in the \\7est. 

Moreover, the Nigeri;tn di;tspora is mostly Christian ;tnd unsympathetic to Boko Haram. The 

possibility of attacking the C.S. homeland is a mid-tenn to long-teml threat and would 

require enhanced capabilities ,md connections for both groups. They are more likely to target 

U.S. interests ,md personnel in southern '\Iigeria as <I next step before the L .S. homeLmd. 

Sources consulted: 

Amerium floreign Policy Council, \\7orld iIJmanac on Islamism, "Boko Haram", 2012 

(http://almanac.afpc.org/boko-haram#); West Point CTC Sentinel, "Cooperation or 

Competition: Boko Haem1 and A . .11sam After the lvlali Intervention," March 27, 2013 

(http://www .ctc.usma.edu / posts / cooperation-or-competition-boko-harmn-and-ansaruafter-the-tnali-intervention); Council on Foreign Relations, ";\nsam: YV110 ;\re They And 

YVl1ere Are They Prom?" July 1, 2013 (http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2013/07 /Ol/<ms<lmwho-are-they I); Sahara Reporters, "How to End Boko Haram's Terror," Sahara Reporters, 

September 13, 2013 Olttp:/ /www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VkVYyIImV40). 

Zenn 6 
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85552d-7.eps

Biography: 

Jacob Zenn is an expert on northern :--.ligerian security ,md consultant on countering violent 

extremism for U.S think-tanks and intemational organizations in Nigeria and Tajikistan. He 

is the author of ":--.Jorthem Nigeria's Boko Hamm: 'lhe Prize in Al-Qaeda's Africa Strategy," 

published by The Jamestown Foundation in 2012 and based on his fieldwork in Boko 

Haratn's tnain area of operations in northern Kigeria, northern Ca1neroon, Chad, and 

southern Niger. Mr. Zenn also writes reports on :--.ligerian security for The Jamestown 

Foundation Terrorism Monitor, \"\iest Point Combating Terrorism Center and The Souf,U] 

Group and produces geospatial analysis products for visualintion for Courage Services. He 

is also a subject matter expert on Nigeria for the Foreign ~[ilitary Studies Office (F~[SO). 

In Pebruary 2013, Mr. Zenn provided testimony on Islamist milit,mcy in Centr"l Asia to the 

US Congress Subcommittee on Terrorism, :--.lonproliferation, 'Uld Trade. lIe also briefed the 

Cultural Knowledge Consortium of Department of Defense, Department of State Center for 

Strategic Counter-terrorism Communications, Canadian Security and Intelligence Services, 

and Royal Cnited Services Tnstitute on Kigerian security. Vfr. 7enn's forthcoming 

publications examine Doko Haram's threat to the United States, Algeria-'\Jigerian jihadist 

networks, women in Boko IIamm operations and propageUlda, and a monograph on 

"Violent Extremism in i'-igeria: A l'racticall'olicy Guidance For Decision Makers." 

Mr. Zenn speaks Arabic, Swahili, Chinese, Russian, French, Uighur and Spanish in addition 

to his native J-:nglish, and he is studying Hausa. He holds a Juris Doctorate from 

Georgetown Law, where he earned the commendation of Global Law Scholar. IIis legell 

expertise focuses on intemational civil society law and best practices related to freedom of 

association, and he co-leads a USA1D-funded law reform program in South Sudan. Since 

September 2013, he has also served as a policy adviser to the Nigeria-American Leadership 

Council, which works with the '\Jigerian diaspora, LS government and think-tanks, and civic 

groups in "Jigeria to counter radicali7.ation and promote accountability. 

contact: jacobzenn(lYb>1Ilail.com 

residence: 2nd congressional district, 9th ward, Pennsylvania 

Zenn 7 
64

Mr. SMITH. Thank you very much, Mr. Zenn for your analysis 

and for your myriad of recommendations. I think you make a number of very tangible suggestions to the State Department and to us, 

so thank you very much. 

Mr. ZENN. Thank you very much. I would be glad to work on 

them. 

Mr. SMITH. Our next witness is Dr. Guy Nzeribe. Thank you so 

much for being here. All of you, thank you for your patience after 

that long delay from the voting and the floor is yours. 

STATEMENT OF GUY NKEM NZERIBE, PH.D., PARTNER, GUY 

NZERIBE ASSOCIATES 

Mr. NZERIBE. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, 

Chairman Smith, for the privilege and opportunity to testify before 

your joint subcommittees, as you begin the important deliberations 

and the critical issue of declaring Boko Haram a foreign terrorist 

organization. Thank you, Ranking Member Bass. I also thank you 

for the opportunity to come here and address these issues with you. 

Many of my comments are based directly on my familiarity with 

the country, close observations with developments therein, and 

easy access to the political class in Nigeria. 

As Chairman Smith and Chairman Poe have determined, Boko 

Haram is engaged in activities that terrorize the general Nigerian 

populace and with the allied Ansaru group, also foreigners. As 

such, Boko Haram has become part of a broader strategic challenge 

to the United States and our international partners. 

Today, I want briefly to offer some context for this challenge, 

share what I have learned and suggest a view of Boko Haram that 

is increasingly being shared by analysts in Nigeria. I believe it is 

an extremely important area that has not received the attention it 

deserves from the intelligence and law enforcement communities. 

Of course, this approach does not override the determination of 

Boko Haram as a force for evil and terrorism. It stands, and its activities fall, very well within the FBI’s definition of a terrorist organization. 

Background. Boko Haram is a moniker that roughly translates 

into ‘‘Western education is forbidden.’’ But what they really want 

to do is to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria that is governed 

under strict Sharia law. Boko Haram adheres to the understanding 

that Muslims taking part in any secular educational, political, or 

social activity should be forbidden. In this, they really harken back 

to the Caliphate of Sokoto and the Empire of before. 

Boko Haram came into being in 2002 under the leadership of the 

charismatic Mohammed Yusuf. Years of recruited followers established a compound in Maiduguri, capital of Borno State. They lived 

under the Koranic phrase, ‘‘Anyone who is not governed by what 

Allah has revealed is among the transgressors.’’

Yusuf had access to the ruling elite because he came from that 

class, too. And was indeed financed by them. Subsequent investigations revealed that in addition to Governor Sheriff of Borno, the 

prominent national politician, Ali Ndume of Borno, too, who was 

also financial linchpin for the group. There was also a former Nigerian Ambassador, the late Said Upindo who actually was the treasurer, if you want. 

65

Why were these and other prominent Borno politicians involved 

with this group? Because they wanted to subvert this group and 

make them part of their election-winning machine. Boko Haram 

supplied the tax and could coerce voters by force to vote as was desired by this group. So Boko Haram subsequently helped Sheriff 

win the governorship of Borno State. According to Boko Haram, a 

tacit understanding was reached with Governor-Elect Ali Modu 

Sheriff that called for the implementation of a stricter form of 

Sharia law and the transformation of Borno into a model Islamic 

state. 

A leader of Boko Haram, Alhaji Buji Foi, was appointed to the 

cabinet of Governor Sheriff. After a year of no movement toward 

the realization of the promised Islamic state, Mohammed Yusuf 

asked to withdraw from the governing administration. Alhaji Buji 

Foi resigned and was eventually killed in suspicious circumstances 

that Boko Haram said believed was officially instigated. Nineteen 

members of Boko Haram or sympathizers were mowed down during the burial procession for Alhaji Buji Foi. Therefore, the relationship between the Governor and Boko Haram soured. The Governor then tried to suppress the sect. Open season was declared on 

the sect. 

Inadequately trained police forces responded to threats of challenge to authority by rounding up anyone who they thought might 

possibly be connected to the annoying group. Usually, that meant 

sweeping up innocent bystanders in the search for a few guilty men 

and jailing or disappearing them. When Boko Haram first struck 

in 2009, the police and others from the administration reacted by 

raiding their compound and extra judiciously executing the group’s 

leaders including Mohammed Yusuf. In reaction, Boko Haram 

began a transformation into the terrorist organization that we 

know today. 

In Maiduguri, their home turf, drive-by motorbike assassinations 

of politicians and policemen became their modus operandi. Their 

terrorist activities soon ensnarled the rest of the city and in quick 

order the local security forces could no longer contain them. Boko 

Haram stepped up wanton killings, bank robberies in and around 

Maiduguri. When the Federal Government in a ham-fisted manner 

tried to contain the conflict, the sect turned its eye toward the military and government installations. There have been atrocities and 

lots of human rights abuses on both sides. But for some notable 

and very disturbing activities in Kano, Jos, and Abuja, Boko 

Haram has likely confined their activities to northeastern Nigeria. 

There is a growing fear that many extremist elements within the 

sect may try to escalate this crisis throughout the country. 

When we talk about Boko Haram, we normally bring up again 

the Islamist bent and this fear of Sharia. Apart from its engagement in terrorist activities, most disquiet around Boko Haram centers on their expressed desire to create an Islamic state that will 

be based on strict execution of Sharia laws. With the agitation for 

Sharia law, Boko Haram managed to focus the public eye on the 

role of Islam in Nigeria. This spotlight on Islam was enhanced, especially in America after the ‘‘Underwear Bomber,’’ Umar Farouk 

Abdulmutallab, tried to blow up an aircraft that was landing in Detroit on Christmas Day a few years ago. Umar Farouk, of course, 

66

is a Muslim from northern Nigeria and would necessarily share 

cultural and religious traits with members of Boko Haram. AlQaeda in Yemen quickly claimed Abdulmutallab and with that sent 

intelligence analysts scrambling to connect existing and potential 

dots that may lead to Nigerian groups like Boko Haram. 

Most states in northern Nigeria share the same socio-economic, 

religious and political conditions that would beget a sect like Boko 

Haram. Indeed, northern Nigeria does have a history of homegrown Muslim sects that present security and administrative challenges to the nation as a whole. We talk about Boko Haram, but 

before Boko Haram in the 1980s, later 1980s, there were the 

Maitatsine uprisings centered in Kano, but also radiated from 

other areas in the north. 

In the past decade, two other sects have come into being. This 

of course is Ansaru, a more radical offshoot of Boko Haram, and 

of course there is the one that is not talked much about, the Darul 

Islam sect. But all of them having come on the fact that they adhere to doctrines that move them out of step with the belief structure of the majority of Muslims in Nigeria. But to varying degrees, 

they do believe that the pervasive corruption in Nigeria and inequality mitigates any real practice of Islam. So for them, established Muslims, especially Muslim leaders cannot be seen as true 

Muslims, too. This would account for why they killed two Muslims, 

because they don’t see them as true Muslims. 

But throughout the history of Nigeria, the rise of sects like Boko 

Haram has coincided with periods of stark economic stagnation 

where unemployment is very rife, and inequality grows ever larger. 

Jobless and angry young men become excellent candidates for 

fringe groups that teach the necessity to take up arms to create a 

society based on true tenets of Islam. The glaring injustice, abject 

poverty, and pervasive hopelessness are the driving forces that create organizations like Boko Haram and MEND in the Niger Delta. 

Unfortunately, Nigeria with its impressive educated, intellectual 

class and vast wealth to boot, has so far failed miserably at basically delivering any veneer of good government, justice, economic, 

and physical security for all of its people. 

Economic reports due out next month will show that Nigeria now 

has the largest economy in Africa, but with a GDP that currently 

ranks as the 32nd largest in the world, Nigeria is the 156th out 

of 187 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index. 

So that is one of the disparities. 

Boko Haram attracts discomfort with its talk of Sharia laws. 

These are edicts that govern morality and lifestyles for the practicing Muslims. Christians, as well as people of other faiths or nonbelievers have not usually been subject to Sharia law. Admittedly, 

there have been instances where the insistence of its use create 

tension between people of different religious backgrounds. Most of 

the region that is covered by today, northern Nigeria, has been 

under the sway of Islam for centuries and as such was already subject to Islamic code prior to the colonialization by the British in the 

early 1900s. Under the British, Sharia law was the law of the land, 

since of course, the severe and shocking penalties. These trends 

continued after independence, but developments in the latter part 

of the last century led to a renewed clamor for the adoption of more 

67

stringent Sharia laws. By this time, the monolithic northern region 

had been carved into numerous states. In the year 2000, several 

predominantly Muslim slave states in the law and adopted an advanced set of Sharia law as part of the legal systems, despite the 

concern of the largely Christian population. 

So far, the introduction of Sharia law in northern Nigeria have 

not produced the hoped-for benefits that they wished because, 

again, the place remains poor. And Sharia law, the way it is applied in Nigeria, it is actually adapted to the cultural sensitivity of 

the people there, so it cannot produce that. 

But in conclusion, when we discuss—here, we talk about the 

issue of Boko Haram. This question has been discussed in Nigeria 

too, because at the moment, the question is being asked, ‘‘What is 

Boko Haram?’’ Just like Zenn said, it has morphed into a lot of organizations, a lot of entities with the goal now, the way it is seen 

in Nigeria, it has been looked upon by certain analysts in Nigeria 

as being able or capable of making or breaking the nation. Because 

people in the north, at the moment, we have elections planned for 

2015, and seen through that prism, the northerners see Boko 

Haram as something that was actually created by southerners to 

create disunity among them. 

The southerners look at Boko Haram again from that prism the 

evil person would say okay, Boko Haram, they are trying to kill us 

again the way they did during the Biafra crisis. The south—I know 

I am going overtime. Thank you. But I will answer questions. 

[Mr. Nzeribe did not submit a written statement.] 

Mr. SMITH. Mr. Nzeribe, thank you very much for your testimony. Just to ask a few questions, let me begin first though with 

Mr. Adamu. 

What was the status and the state of Muslim-Christian relations 

before Boko Haram? I travel extensively through Africa, but also 

through other places where there are large Christian and Muslim 

populations, and in even Sarajevo, before the Yugoslav war, Muslims and Christians had a very close friendship which was then exacerbated by, in that case, the Bosnian Serbs. What was the state 

of the relation between the two? 

Mr. ADAMU. Before the coming of Boko Haram, the Muslims and 

Christians were united. We are living at peace with each other. 

During some celebrations, we are sharing food and other things 

with each other. We live in peace, but the coming of Boko Haram 

that is where the crisis has started. But before we were living in 

peace. 

Mr. SMITH. One of my biggest takeaways from this trip which reinforced what I thought was the case on the ground was just that, 

that there was a harmony. There is always some friction, but there 

were genuine friendships among families and one of the biggest 

takeaways was how the Muslims are being targeted, not to the extent Christians are. One of our witnesses that was supposed to testify via Skype from the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, but there was some 

glitch that occurred as of yesterday, not that he didn’t want to testify, it was a technical glitch, but Dr. Khalid Aliyu was going to 

testify here to give a Muslim’s point of view on all things as it relates to Boko Haram. That was one of the points that I think is 

under appreciated in the United States and in the West in general. 

68

These are terrorists who as you just said, Doctor, they do target 

Muslims, but they have a hatred of all things Christian and it is 

such a perversion of Islam. One of my close friends in the Islamic 

community is Reis Ceric, the Grand Mufti of Bosnia. And I will 

never forget hearing him give a sermon for the reinternment of 

several, in this case 800, people who died in Srebrenica. And it was 

a terrible genocide, 8,000 plus people killed in the matter of days, 

almost all men, separated. It was one of the worst episodes of U.N. 

peacekeepers ever because they actually helped facilitate it and 

took no action to stop it as well. So the common cause of Muslims 

and Christians needs to be emphasized as never before, especially 

pious Muslims who want no part of what Boko Haram is doing. 

One of the questions I asked the Ambassador earlier, Mr. Ogebe, 

was regarding the victims. What I learned on the trip was that victims of the terrorism are not receiving the kind of assistance from 

the international community including the United States. Individual, private, voluntary, charitable groups are stepping up to the 

plate like Voice of the Martyrs and others, but nowhere near approximating the need of these individuals who are now IDPs, have 

PTSD problems, especially—we met with a child and you will remember this, Mr. Ogebe, who lost his entire family, all slaughtered. He was having a sleepover with a friend when the Boko 

Haram came to his house and slaughtered his mom and dad, his 

brothers and sisters and extended family. I mean that little boy, I 

can’t imagine the trauma that he feels, so if you could speak to the 

victims’ assistance that seems to be slim and none. 

Mr. OGEBE. Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. The real 

concern for us is not only the failure of the state to provide security, but the failure of the state to provide Social Security for victims after they have been victimized. And yes, I do remember that 

gentleman. 

Now what has happened is we have found that the Federal Government, as recently as last week, announced that they will not 

provide compensation to victims which we find quite unsettling because during your visit, you did mention the victim compensation 

fund from 9/11, which we thought would be a perfect model for this 

situation. We have seen this situation get progressively worse 

where last year we had IDP camps in Jos. Now we have refugees 

in Cameroon which is a flashback to the Biafra war where so many 

Nigerians became refugees in Cameroon and never came back, so 

the impact was felt in neighboring countries around Nigeria. So we 

do feel that there is a need for the U.S. to help the Nigerian Government to understand that the need to take care of their citizens 

before and after terrorist attacks. 

In conclusion, let me say this. We have an observed situation 

where the Federal Government of Nigeria has committed to spend 

about $30 million to repair the U.N. building that was bombed by 

Boko Haram. And at the same time, turning around and saying 

well, we are not going to provide compensation to our own citizens 

who were impacted by this terrible situation. 

One last note, the young lady, Deborah, whom you met, the orphan girl whose father and brother were killed in her presence, it 

was a 9/11 charity in New York that offered for her to come here 

to trauma treatment after she spent a night tied to the body of her 

69

father and her brother. It was average Americans who just cared, 

who sent for her. And the U.S. Embassy denied her a visa twice. 

So for us charities who are working on these issues, we are dealing 

with an unresponsive Nigerian Government in some instances. We 

are dealing with an unresponsive consulate and we are dealing 

with terrorists. So it can be very overwhelming. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. Mr. Zenn, in your ten measures of recommendations, your third one is something I raised with Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield and that was the issue of the Leahy 

amendment. And I will just quote you in part because I don’t think 

you mentioned this in your oral presentation, but you mentioned,

‘‘Mentor Nigerian troops in counterinsurgency based on best 

practices learned from years of dealing with IEDs, urban warfare, and ambushes in Iraq and Afghanistan. Currently, the 

Leahy Act effectively bans U.S. support to Nigeria’s Joint Task 

Force that is fighting Boko Haram. Even JTF units with positive human rights records are blacklisted because of Leahy’s 

wide-reaching ban on entire units—rather than specific abusers. Leahy should be reexamined, or else Nigeria will continue 

to look to countries like Pakistan for mentorship, which is no 

recipe for success.’’

I raised that when I was in Abuja with our leadership there. We 

had a very good discussion about that. Again, as I mentioned to 

Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield, I understand the abundance of 

caution argument, but when it is counterproductive and we can 

both train true human rights soldiers who have a respect for 

human rights and also to be more effective at doing their job, it 

seems to be counterproductive. Could you speak to that? 

Mr. ZENN. Right. I wanted to mention this when I spoke about 

the July 2009 fighting for 4 days between the security forces and 

Boko Haram which actually led Boko Haram to become the nasty 

jihadist group that it is today. And it is very true that there were 

a lot of excesses on the parts of the security forces and it is certain 

that there are some units of the JTF that have performed human 

rights abuses. That being said and this comes from people who I 

know in the security forces as well as people who have witnessed 

them, there are units that do follow human rights that are committed to human rights and combatting Boko Haram. But it seems 

that the wide-reaching scope of this is limiting our ability to fight 

Boko Haram beyond FTO measures which really are on a most 

broad scale and not the local level. And I understand the logic behind Leahy, but I think we can be more specific and work with 

those groups that are committed to human rights. And there is no 

country in the world right now better than the United States who 

has experienced insurgency for 12 years to mentor them. 

And I would also mention that Boko Haram is learning for alQaeda around the world, but the Nigerian security forces are not 

being taught by those are fighting al-Qaeda around the world. 

Mr. SMITH. We already have a rather close relationship with 

their Navy in the south. So there is already a relationship. 

Mr. ZENN. There is precedent. 

Mr. SMITH. The chilling effect that Leahy inadvertently is having 

I would respectfully submit is counterproductive. We need to really 

70

delve into this and I thank you for your point and as Mr. Ogebe 

mentioned, Emmanuel mentioned before, he was tortured by the 

Nigerian military and yet he, too, sees the need for, with proper 

vetting, doing the kind of training that will truly make the difference. We have learned so much as a country ourselves that 

ought to be shared, I would think with the Nigerian military. 

Mr. NZERIBE. If I may speak to that. At the moment, currently, 

the Nigerian Government, the Nigerian military is engaged in 

training units for counterinsurgency operations. Those are units 

different from the ones now that operate out there. These units, I 

think they number 3,000 at the moment, the goal is to get them 

to the forefront to fight. Because even the government recognizes 

that to fight Boko Haram and some sects you need to give the 

troops the tools they need to fight. 

There was debate going on if they really needed counterinsurgency training or counterterrorism training, but all in all I think 

they are working toward that angle, that area. I couldn’t tell you 

off my head who is involved in helping with the training. I suspect 

some Israeli—but they are doing something for that now. 

If I may speak to the victim compensation fund, too. It is a topic 

that is actively debated this time in Nigeria. It has been complicated. As a matter of fact, either yesterday or 2 days ago, the 

President—well, he finally refused that he was not going to go 

along with that, but he was just searching for solutions. It has 

been complicated by the fact that any attempt to create—this is a 

sticking point—create a victim’s fund would attract on the other 

side to the demand to be involved with it. Boko Haram is still demanding from the Federal Government compensation for killing 

Mohammed Yusuf today. As a matter of fact, a little while ago 

there was agreement, they were in discussions first with the Borno 

State government for cease fire to cease operations and although 

they asked for 26 billion naira, the Federal Government, Borno 

State was eligible for foreign aid, but the government said no. It 

all boiled down to the fact that if they did, they would have to compensate for Mohammed Yusuf. 

What has this initiated in the discussion in Nigeria at the moment, they are talking about, okay, you have a group of northern 

politicians who have taken this now as their own cause. They are 

saying you refuse to compensate our people, okay, we want Boko 

Haram to stop fighting. You need to pay them. We are not talking 

now about the victims, just pay them off, the same way you paid 

off the many people in the Niger Delta. So they see that as discrimination. And it becomes a rallying point for southern politicians. 

Any way you take it, it is really complex, Nigeria, and that is the 

image that comes through. 

Mr. OGEBE. Yes, Mr. Chairman, if I may say something really 

quickly about this issue of compensation and especially the U.S. argument that this is economic and we need to throw more money 

at the problem. The ultimate issue here is that the U.S. is opening 

a slippery slope to the institutionalization of mass murder as a legitimate pathway to more Federal resources. We cannot create a 

precedent that if you go out and bomb churches, we are going to 

create a special ministry for you. If the Government of Nigeria 

71

could actually consider offering amnesty and finance to Boko 

Haram to lay down arms, why can’t they consider providing compensation for victims? So this is the wrong message that we are 

sending. 

Let me speak again to the military response. I want to emphasize the point that the Nigeria military has served as boots on the 

ground for the U.S. in situations that the U.S. did not want to go 

in. In Liberia, where Africa-Americans went back and established 

that country, the U.S. has strong ties with our country, but it was 

Nigerian troops and billions of Nigerian money that preserved it. 

In Somalia, Nigerian troops are there up to this date. Nigeria is 

contributing to nine U.N. peacekeeping missions. The U.S. is not 

involved in any of those. So this is a regional power broker that 

we need. And so the idea that we cannot provide technical assistance to them to deal with the insurgency that they are not used 

to, but we as Americans have expertise on, is chilling. 

In conclusion, let me say that more Nigerian soldiers have died 

at home at the hands of Boko Haram than have died in the peacekeeping operations in the last 3 years in nine different countries. 

And so even the U.S. Army had to face a homegrown insurgency 

here, they would have the same challenges that the Nigerian army 

is having. We saw what happened with the shooting in Texas when 

someone turned on Americans who were in their homeland and 

killed 14 in 1 day. 

Let me wrap up my thoughts here by mentioning some of the 

videos that we couldn’t even submit to your committee are chilling. 

I recently saw a video of Boko Haram decapitating a woman. Generally, it is the people like Adamu Habila fits the prototype. You 

need to be male and non-Muslim and you will be killed. They usually don’t kill the woman. But to see a grown woman who was accused of being a security agent, being decapitated on video and people chanting ‘‘Allah Akbar’’ was one of the most disturbing things 

I have seen. And this kind of explains why the military response 

is so high handed because what these people are doing is medieval, 

it comes out of the Stone Age and I do not believe there is any 

basis for also negotiating with such evil people and offering them 

money to do this. I think that undermines the rule of law and will 

end any efforts to maintain a civilization. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and to the 

whole panel. I just wanted to thank you for your patience. I am 

sorry. It is always tough and we always complain about it when we 

have the interruption with votes. 

I wanted to ask Mr. Adamu, one, I really appreciate your personal testimony about what happened and the fact that you took 

the time to come here and share your story. And I just wanted to 

know if you could talk a little bit more about your area and why 

it was targeted? Was the whole area a Christian area and it was 

all being targeted? And then since then, you survived which is 

amazing, and I am wondering if you—what has happened to your 

area since then and your family and all that? 

Mr. ADAMU. Thank you so much. The Yobe State is one of the 

major states where the Boko Haram is based. Since the 2011 elections, the Yobe State, we Christians in Yobe State started facing 

one tenth of the order. Before the attack, before 2011, the ChrisVerDate 0ct 09 2002 12:38 Mar 20, 2014 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00077 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\_AGH\131113\85552 SHIRL
72

tians that are living in Yobe, we are living like second-class citizens in the state because even though we read, no government can 

offer appointment for you in order to work. If providential you have 

appointment to work in the government, you will sit there. The 

government will not promote you. I am working with the government radio stations. I spent 8 years without promotions, 8 years 

without promotions. Also, that is what we are facing in Yobe. And 

also, we are denied to have a land where we build our churches. 

We are denied to have teachers that can teach our children in 

school in Christian knowledge. Churches sacrifice in order to pay 

teachers in order to teach Christian knowledge in Yobe. But they 

have denied us of all this. 

We are also suffering always in our places of work. For example, 

in the northern part of Nigeria, you have Ministry of Religion Affairs where 100 percent of the staff there are Muslims. Not one 

Christian is there. You see, this is what continues to happen. When 

all these things happen, now few Christians that are men arrive. 

They have fled to the nearest countries, in order to have where 

they will stay and also the state government started rights to us 

where we would go back to the state or they would terminate our 

appointments. Many of the Christians have been terminated their 

appointments. They are not working now. You see how these people 

will survive, they are living without work. Now that is why we are 

calling for a Federal Government to help the northern Christians 

in order to afford them an appointment to work in the Federal Government. And those that have lost their job, let Federal Government or the state government to give them back their appointment 

and pay them their money and their salaries. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you. 

Mr. ADAMU. Thank you so much. 

Ms. BASS. Mr. Zenn, you mentioned that Boko Haram, the primary funding is local. And I was wondering what you meant by 

that? Maybe you can elaborate on that some more, local, how 

much, from where? And I am asking that in the context of wondering if there is anything that the U.S. can do to be helpful? If 

it is all local funding, how do we——

Mr. ZENN. Well, I think one thing that is important to consider 

is that before July 2009, Boko Haram was essentially one of the 

many, if not hundreds or thousands of Islamists, 

Salafist groups in Nigeria and it was fairly mainstream. There 

was nothing particularly illegal about funding it. The funding 

streams came through the regular Islamist funding streams, 

through Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and possibly even from 

Western countries. 

So during its rise from 2002 to 2009 when it was propagating its 

police system which was slightly, but not completely more radical 

than other groups, it was well-funded. And it even had funding 

from local politicians that wanted to be on its side because it was 

a fairly popular group because it had a charismatic leader. And 

there is already a radical base in northern Nigeria as we have 

learned. 

After 2009, it shifted from being a preaching group to being a 

bonafide jihadist group with full-fledged violence. And it has become much less tenable for even radical Muslims to support a 

73

group like this financially. So I don’t think it’s going through mainstream funding networks now as much as before, but it has responded by robbing banks. So can we help Nigeria with better bank 

security? It has kidnapped local people and taken them to safe havens in northeastern Nigeria. Can we help Nigeria to reduce these 

safe havens, either by providing them with intelligence from the air 

or better border security? And it has responded by stealing cattle 

from local people. So again, this goes back to the Leahy argument, 

what can we do to help Nigeria become more capable and competent of providing security for its own citizens and that will, in 

turn, reduce its ability to kidnap, exhort, tax local people and fund 

itself. 

And again, our broader al-Qaeda counter funding initiatives 

might help as well because I do believe this group is connected to 

al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and such networks. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you. Thank you. And then finally, I wanted to 

ask Mr. Ogebe and Mr. Nzeribe, it seemed as though when I was 

listening, Mr. Ogebe when you were talking, unfortunately, I 

walked in a little bit late, so I wanted to ask a question for both 

of you to give your perspectives on what the root causes of Boko 

Haram are, because it seemed as though I heard two different perspectives, but I walked in in the middle of Mr. Ogebe. Because I 

believe you were disputing the notion that poverty was—you believed was the root cause. So maybe you could both address that. 

Mr. OGEBE. Yes. Thank you very much, Ranking Member Bass. 

I think that there is a reductionist analysis that has oversimplified 

the deadly theological insurgency and turned it into an ideological, 

or regional, class warfare. I want to say that there is a lot of poverty in the north. I am from the north, though the middle belt. And 

there is deep poverty there as well. As a child growing up, my mom 

asked me to go out and buy half a loaf of bread because we had 

guests coming. I didn’t know it was possible to do that. I walked 

into the store. They cut it in half and sold me half a loaf of bread. 

We came from a well-to-do family. My dad was a judge. My mom 

was a doctor. So there is poverty in the north of Nigeria. 

Now the problem here is this. Poor people are some of the most 

generous people you will ever meet and Muslims are some of the 

kindest people you will ever meet. So these people who are decapitating women do not remind me of the poor Muslim neighbors I 

had. I traveled to England once. I came back. My poor Muslim 

neighbor, I was gone longer than I expected, had gone into my 

apartment and washed all my clothes before I came back. These 

are not the people who are out and bombing churches. 

Now having said that, I believe that this is an export of an extreme ideology. I will give you a quick illustration. Polio has almost 

been stamped out as a disease in the world. It is now subsisting 

in only three countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northern Nigeria. What is the link? We need to ask ourselves these questions. 

Ms. BASS. I understand the link between Pakistan and Afghanistan. That is clear. Northern Nigeria? 

Mr. OGEBE. If you look at the U.S. terrorism reports, you will 

find that Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria rank the same ranking, the top five countries that engage in terrorism. So there is a 

74

deep theology where they shoot health workers. The two countries 

that health workers were shot were Pakistan and Nigeria. 

Ms. BASS. Yes. 

Mr. OGEBE. So no matter what investments you make, if you 

don’t change his warped mindset and this warped theology, we will 

have these problems. I will say remember the two Americans who 

were freed that were kidnapped in the south. 

Ms. BASS. Yesterday, right, day before? 

Mr. OGEBE. They paid the ransom and they were freed. That is 

economic. Now in the north, Ansaru kidnapped seven Westerners 

and executed them, they didn’t even bother waiting for ransom. 

Ms. BASS. And I do understand what you mean by the export of 

an ideology, but what is the basis of that ideology taking root? 

Mr. OGEBE. The problem is with the interpretation of jihad. 

Some would believe that it is not a movement, it is not national, 

it is physical violent jihad. There is another school of thought that 

says well, when they said kill the Jews and the Christians, it was 

specific to that time and not to this time. So you need to read it 

in context. There are others who feel, no, it is universal. We need 

to keep doing that now. 

Let me add that Iran, and this goes back to a question that was 

asked earlier, Iran has shipped arms to Nigeria. Hezbollah, they 

just discovered some of their weapons in Nigeria. So all of that activity is going on. The point is this, there are some Shia members 

that were trained and groomed by Iran who were not satisfied with 

their nonviolence posture. And so they decamped to form Boko 

Haram or to join Boko Haram because they felt that this would 

give them expression to be more violent in their underpinnings. 

And I believe that Zenn has written a little in this area. So it is 

not ideology that is really, and the theology that is really, I think, 

at the core of this problem. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you. Mr. Nzeribe. 

Mr. NZERIBE. You did hear correctly, there is a difference in the 

way we look at it. I think it approaches the issue as an advocate 

and I am looking for broad strokes that actually would help the 

policymakers come up with policies that can be implemented and 

on a different level we can talk, other things will come in. 

Original Boko Haram, any way you cut and slice it, it is in the 

conditions, the dire economic conditions in the north. There is huge 

poverty, but it is almost structural because you have—this goes 

back actually to the Sokoto Caliphate and when the British came 

into Nigeria, they discouraged contact and education between 

Western education. And the British were only happy to indulge 

them, so they introduced indirect rule. The Emir was responsible. 

And the Emir goes Western education, we don’t need. So that tradition, actually, Boko Haram is in a historical tradition that was always there. But what has happened, especially since the ’80s, until 

the ’70s, after the war, the Biafra war, it was masked by the fact, 

the oil industry boomed and the north actually held sway over the 

economy of Nigeria. So you had a lot of transfer from the south to 

the north. And that masked some aspects of a nondeveloping economy that you wouldn’t see because it seemed to be money everywhere. But in the ’80s, beginning of the ’80s, especially since the 

year 2000, you have had a situation in Nigeria where power shifted 

75

in a concrete way from the north to the south. And the establishment, the creation of more states in the north, I think there are 

19 states now, they always believed that in the area you hold together, but they began to go their separate way and some would 

actually make allowances with other states in the south. But effectively, they lost power in the Federal Government. 

Why is this important? Because Nigeria is a typical developing 

country and the government plays a very substantial role in the 

economy. You don’t have the private sector to come to balance and 

if you control government, you are able to do that. Where I am 

going is in the north, especially in the ’80s, it began to show that 

they didn’t have people who were educated to become part of the 

economy. They created states that couldn’t attract businesses because you didn’t have an educated class, so the poverty just kept 

increasing more and more. They have kids who don’t go to school. 

You have 8-year-olds already in the streets trying to sell things, instead of being in school, so that you get to the point where a kind 

of helplessness begins to settle in, because in between they see the 

ruling class is actually doing very well, sending their kids abroad 

to schools, but refusing to spend money, state money on education 

for the indigents. 

So you get to a point where you have really a lot of poverty, but 

a lack of skill sets to do anything. And in steps somebody like Mohammed Yusuf who is actually pretty well-educated himself, he is 

a university graduate, Yusuf steps in and goes up and gathers 

these people into a compound. He is able to feed them. You feed 

them. You have the church. You really can work on them. And because they are hopeless anyway, they will do anything for you, anything you tell them. And he says this is it. Just like that was said 

until the year 2009, Boko Haram it wasn’t that terrorist organization because it was more, it was engaged in activities that were on 

a smaller scale, more akin to what Hamas would be doing in Palestine. 

So again, if we look at it on a broader level, it is there, but again, 

on an individual level, people experience it differently. 

Ms. BASS. Thank you very much. 

Mr. NZERIBE. You are welcome. 

Mr. SMITH. I would like to thank our distinguished panelists for 

your work and for sharing with us your expertise and insights. It 

has been most helpful. And I do think your presence certainly 

helped the administration focus a little harder on designating Boko 

Haram as a foreign terrorist organization, so thank you for that as 

well. And is there is anything you would like to say before we conclude, any of our witnesses? 

Mr. OGEBE. We want to thank you most kindly, Mr. Chairman, 

for your leadership on this issue. I honestly believe that if you 

hadn’t taken the issue head on, that we may not have had the conclusion that we had today. So thank you very much for making my 

Christmas wish come true early. 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. And we will do vigorous oversight and do 

whatever we can to be helpful and we will revisit and are doing 

it already with the application or the over application of the Leahy 

amendment, and I thank you for your insights on that as well and 

76

all the others with regards to victims. And this hearing is adjourned and I express my deep gratitude. 

Mr. OGEBE. Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 4:01 p.m., the subcommittees were adjourned.] 

(77)

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85552n.eps

JOINT SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING NOTICE 

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

US HOUSE OF REPRESENT A TTVES 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6128 

Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations 

Chlistollher H. Smith (R-NJ), Chairman 

Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade 

Ted Poe (R-TX), Chairman 

November 12. 2013 

TO: MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

You arc respectrully requested to allend an OPEN hearing or the Commillee on Foreign Arrairs. to be held 

jointly by the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations and 

the Subconmrittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferdtion .. and Trade in Room 2200 of the Rayblml Honse Office Building 

(and a\,aiiablc live on the COlmnittcc website at \}'\~:liJ9J~jg;tl-t1[rajlliJJJiJ!~~.gQY): 

DATE: 

TIME: 

SUBJECT: 

WITNESSES: 

Wednesday. November 13. 2013 

l:OOp.111. 

The Continuing Threat of Boko Haram 

Panel I 

The Honomblc Linda Thomas-Greenfield 

Assistant Secretary 

Bureau of African Affairs 

U.S. Department of State 

Panel II 

Mr. Elmnanuel Ogebe 

Managing Partner 

U.S.-Nigeria La" Group 

Mr. Habila Adamu 

Survh or of violence by Boko Hamm 

Mr. Jaeob Zcnn 

Research Analyst 

The J amestO\vn Foundation 

Guy Nkel11 Nzeribe, Ph.D 

Partner 

Guy Nzeribe Associates 

B~; Direction of the Chairman 
79

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COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

MINUTES OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON _____ "'_._'._"'_"_"'...;"~::;;~:;;;::...."'.,"':!!,"';.,"'"."'.j;,=::,"':."';;:;""~=:~,-,,"_"e_~_<_,"_""_' ____ HEARING 

Day Wednesdal' Date Novembel' 13, 2013 Room 2200 RUl'bul'/l HOB 

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111C COlltilluillg 11'J'eat of Boko Harrllli 

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RIectronically Roco ... l~tajled) [{] 

Stenographic Record l..L.J 

Rep. Wel/el, Rep. Bas.<, Rep. Poe, Rep. She1'lllll1l, Rep. Broo"s, Rep. Perl)" Rep. COttOIl, Rep. Cook 

NON·SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: (Mark with an * ifth"y arc lIot members offil/l committee) 

HEARING WITNESSES: Sflme as mec1ing notice Attnched,! Yes [2] No D 

(If "no OJ, p!t:ase list below and include title, agency, deparlmenl, 01' orgonizaUon.) 

STATEMENTS FOR THE RECORD: (List ({ny slatements slIbmitted}or the record.) 

TIME SCHEDULED TO RECONVIlNE ___ _ 

or 

11ME ADJOURNED 4:01 p.m.