Words don't often fail me...

[Mich the Tester]

I am with you here, but I'd add that it doesn't look like kidnapping for ransom, it seems to be to keep them in a "good" "muslim" environment where they will not get educated or otherwise "spoilt" by western influences. I.e. they have not been kidnapped, they have been enslaved. I'm OK with the idea of going and freeing slaves.

I think if anything they're trying to show who's in charge; it's a direct assault on the power of the state of Nigeria and the (usually pretty reasonable) rulers of Borno. Boko Haram looks like a comeback by the followers of this lovely chap; Maitatsine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia who believed he was a prophet. He caused quite some trouble in the 70s.

In other parts of the north, Boko Haram have been active but their brand of Islam doesn't seem to catch on in the parts (most of the north) which fell under the Sultans of Sokoto before the colonial times, perhaps because Mohammad Bello, the second Sultan and his sons were known as peacemakers who brought education and rights for women. I don't think these guys have an awful lot of support; Nigerian muslims are not generally aggressive about forcing their beliefs on others. Even though there is officially Sharia law in much of the north, non-muslims live there and can buy a beer in most towns as long as they don't go around drunk, women can work, own businesses are not obliged to wear islamic dress, and vote in elections and have access to education, which is perhaps what these guys find most objectionable. The current Emir of Kano actually did a lot to introduce western style education in his region and unsurprisingly, he's a target for Boko Haram too and now apparently lives surrounded by armed guards even when he's in bed. It's not so easy to oppress people who can read, write and communicate their opinions to others. The trouble is, you don't need very many heavily armed psychos to take control of a large area.

Interesting little detail is that a couple of years ago, oil was found in lake Chad. It wouldn't surprise me if there are some economic interests in this too.

[expat]

That area is almost lawless at the moment. First you have to find out where the girls are being held, then you have to stage some kind of operation to get them out; giving in to ransom would be an absolute disaster and would effectively hand control of the north to the fundamentalist loons;

I am with you here, but I'd add that it doesn't look like kidnapping for ransom, it seems to be to keep them in a "good" "muslim" environment where they will not get educated or otherwise "spoilt" by western influences. I.e. they have not been kidnapped, they have been enslaved. I'm OK with the idea of going and freeing slaves.

[Mich the Tester]

Why on Earth can't the Nigerian government sort them out?

That area is almost lawless at the moment. First you have to find out where the girls are being held, then you have to stage some kind of operation to get them out; giving in to ransom would be an absolute disaster and would effectively hand control of the north to the fundamentalist loons; if Nigeria is ripped apart then most of west and northern Africa will be in big trouble. Effectively it would be like allowing the loons to create a new Afghanistan, but bigger, with lots of arms and lots of oil and other resources we all need like copper; plus, huge amounts of agricultural land.

Nigeria has a special forces unit, trained by the UK special forces, but the trouble is it's an area where even the Army fear to tread, and the Nigerian forces are mainly coastal people trained to defend oil infrastructure and government matters in the south. There is also suspicion that Boko Haram have infiltrated the army and are informing on the terrorists on army plans. It seems British special forces have had some nasty experiences in Nigeria too and actually the most experienced people in the region are probably the Irish army Rangers who have worked in Chad.

[BrilloPad]

BBC News - Boko Haram 'to sell' Nigeria girls abducted from Chibok

Latest update - they might be sold.

[OwlHoot]

Now usually I wouldn't be the hawkish type, but someone needs to give those bastards a damn good @rsekicking.

Why on Earth can't the Nigerian government sort them out?

Harald Hardrada, the Viking ruler of Norway, would have known what to do - In the mid-1000s he decided that for political reasons Norway should become a Christian country. After that, anyone caught at a pagan shrine, or wearing pagan amulets etc had their arms cut off and their eyes burned out with red hot irons. Maybe not quite the conversion technique the church fathers would have favoured, but Christianity caught on in no time!

[BrilloPad]

Have you tried looking in Brillos basement?

A more likely candidate is someone who has endless libido. Anyone know someone like that?

[MarillionFan]

I know it's been going on for weeks, but now 230-odd girls are still being held captive and there are reports of them being forced into marriage somewhere in the forest. The North of Nigeria is being ruined by these @rseholes.

If there's only one positive thing to come from this, the bastards have made a lot more enemies for themselves as if they didn't have any to start with.

Have you tried looking in Brillos basement?

[Mich the Tester]

This happened weeks ago - remember reading about it at the time. I don't understand why it's only now making news.

I know it's been going on for weeks, but now 230-odd girls are still being held captive and there are reports of them being forced into marriage somewhere in the forest. The North of Nigeria is being ruined by these @rseholes.

If there's only one positive thing to come from this, the bastards have made a lot more enemies for themselves as if they didn't have any to start with.

[BrilloPad]

Has Boku got a brother called procul?

[mudskipper]

...but I struggle to describe what I think about what those bastards Boko Haram have done.

BBC News - Boko Haram admits abducting Nigeria girls from Chibok

Looks like Britain might be prepared to help;

Britain in talks to help rescue Nigerian schoolgirls - Telegraph

Now usually I wouldn't be the hawkish type, but someone needs to give those bastards a damn good @rsekicking.

This happened weeks ago - remember reading about it at the time. I don't understand why it's only now making news.

[Mich the Tester]

...but I struggle to describe what I think about what those bastards Boko Haram have done.

BBC News - Boko Haram admits abducting Nigeria girls from Chibok

Looks like Britain might be prepared to help;

Britain in talks to help rescue Nigerian schoolgirls - Telegraph

Now usually I wouldn't be the hawkish type, but someone needs to give those bastards a damn good @rsekicking.