Boko Haram (27 page)

Back at home in Warri, he sought herbal treatments for his bedsores, but they did not seem to do much good. He couldn't remember exactly what herbs were used when I asked him. Family members were caring for him when I got back in touch with him in September 2013. His wife was not there, and he declined to discuss why. I found out later that he and his wife had split, with different reasons offered by her and Wellington's brother. There was also an odd discrepancy in the number of children I was told he had, and he had begged off when I asked him about his kids in Warri. I had noted when speaking to him in the hospital after the attack that
he said he had five children, but his brother and wife told me later he had one son.
⁴

After visiting with him in Warri and returning to Lagos, where I was based at the time, I began making phone calls to try to find out if his case was being attended to by someone in government. I exchanged text messages with the minister for special duties, who was in charge of organising help for Boko Haram victims, providing him with Wellington's details. I spoke to someone in the health ministry, who told me that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) had been put in charge of victims' assistance. I called that agency's spokesman and explained the situation, and he informed me that Wellington would have to submit an application. As a result, I asked Wellington's brother to send me a letter explaining the circumstances. He did so and also emailed a letter from Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where he was first treated, and a copy of one of the newspaper articles on him. I then forwarded the documents to a colleague in Abuja, who agreed to deliver the paperwork in person to the NEMA spokesman. The spokesman later confirmed to me he had received the documents and would look into it.

Months passed and there was no response. Wellington's brother contacted me a number of times to find out if I had made any progress. In February 2014, I called the NEMA spokesman and asked about the file. He remembered me, as well as our previous exchange, and told me he was unable to find out anything about Wellington. I told him I did not understand his response since the reason for providing him with the documents was to initiate action. He said he would look into it again and get back to me. He never did.

‘Even if the government is going to spend 10 million on me, am I not worth more than 10 million naira [$60,000]?', Wellington asked me that day in Warri in exasperation. ‘Let's assume the government is going to spend 10 million on me to rehabilitate me so that I will get back on my feet. Am I not much more than
10 million naira? Is a life of a Nigerian citizen not more than 10 million naira?'

After not being in touch for some time, I sent Wellington's brother an email in February 2014 telling him he should also try to contact NEMA to see if he could get a response. I did not hear back, which I found to be strange since he had always responded before. The following month, I tried to call Wellington on both of his phone numbers but could not reach him. I then called his brother, who did answer. He told me he had received my email, but had some terrible news. Wellington had died in December. He was 50 years old.

The debate about Boko Haram, its international links and jihadi ambitions will and should go on, but for those faced with the everyday realties of the violence, it is almost beside the point. The problem is nothing less than the current state of Nigeria and the way it is being robbed daily – certainly of its riches, but more importantly, of its dignity.

Ansaru:
a splinter faction of Boko Haram that has kidnapped foreigners and with rhetoric more in line with global jihadist groups. Its full name is Jama'atu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladis Sudan, or Vanguard for the Aid of Muslims in Black Africa. Another possible translation is Support Group for Muslims in Black Africa. Whether Ansaru remains truly separate from Boko Haram has been debated and it appears they may work together in an umbrella-like arrangement.

Boko Haram:
the Hausa-language phrase given to the Islamist insurgency in Nigeria. The most commonly accepted translation is ‘Western education is forbidden', though it could have a wider meaning since ‘boko' may also be interpreted as ‘Western deception'. The name was given to the insurgents by outsiders and not by the Islamists themselves, and Nigerian authorities as well as the news media continue to refer to it as such. The insurgency has morphed into an umbrella-like structure in recent years with various cells that may or may not work together, and ‘Boko Haram' has come to stand as a catch-all phrase to describe it.

Caliphate:
a territory ruled according to Islamic principles, with a caliph as head. Usman Dan Fodio's nineteenth-century jihad in what is today northern Nigeria led to what has come to be known as the Sokoto Caliphate.

Civilian JTF:
vigilante groups formed in north-eastern Nigeria to help soldiers root out insurgents. The name is a reference to the military's Joint Task Force, which was the main deployment assigned to battle Boko Haram before it was replaced by the 7th Division.

Emir:
a Muslim ruler, sometimes within a larger caliphate. Also referred to as shehu or sultan in northern Nigeria. Various emirs ruled over areas of the Sokoto Caliphate and the title has been preserved and passed on to the present day. Today's emirs of northern Nigeria officially have only ceremonial powers, though they retain substantial influence. The sultan of Sokoto remains Nigeria's highest Muslim spiritual and traditional authority.

Jama'atu Ahlus-Sunnah Lidda'Awati Wal Jihad:
Abubakar Shekau's faction of Boko Haram says it wants to be known by this Arabic-language name, which translates to People Committed to the Prophet's Teachings for Propagation and Jihad. Another possible translation is the Sunni Group for Proselytisation and Jihad.

JTF:
Joint Task Force. Military-led security deployments assigned to contend with unrest in parts of Nigeria. The JTF in north-eastern Nigeria had been the main
force assigned to battle Boko Haram and had been accused of major human rights abuses before it was replaced by the 7th Division in 2013.

Salafism:
a strict, fundamentalist interpretation of Islam that advocates a return to a purer form of the faith. Boko Haram's original leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was a Salafist. Boko Haram under his leadership before his death in 2009 was a Salafist-like sect based at his mosque in Maiduguri.

Sufism:
a mystical version of Islam. Usman Dan Fodio, the nineteenth-century jihad leader in what is today northern Nigeria, was a Sufi. Nigeria's Muslim establishment today remains mainly made up of Sufis in line with Sunni tradition. Opposition to Nigeria's Sufi establishment developed in the 1970s through dissident clerics who had embraced Wahhabi-Salafist or Shiite beliefs. Such clerics retain substantial followings today.