Free Boko Haram by Mike Smith

He said he would look into it again and get back to me. He never did.
    â€˜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 than10 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.

Glossary
    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 mainforce assigned to