Nigeria: Who are Boko Haram militants?

Zee Media Bureau

Lagos: Nigeria`s Boko Haram militants attacked the College of Agriculture in Yobe on Sunday and killed number of students as they slept in the dormitory. While the initial toll suggests at least 50 students have been killed in the attack, rescue operations are on and the administration are pulling out bodies from the rubble. Boko Haram are Islamic militants in Nigeria who are against the Western culture. The name means "Western education is forbidden" and sticking true to the meaning of its name, the Islamic militants struck the college as it denotes Western culture for them. It is also against Muslims participating in Western activities including wearing shirts, trousers and even voting. The Islamist militant group is opposed to the government`s rule and has for long been demanding a separate creation of an Islamist state in the northern part of the country. The group was formed by Mohammed Yusuf in 2002 with its headquarters in Maiduguri. It started carrying out deadly terror attacks across Nigeria in 2009. A clash between the militants and government forces led to the killing of Yusuf and destruction of its headquarters. However, the group again came under the leadership of a new chief and has since been carrying out terror strikes, including bomb attacks, shootings and suicide attacks, across the country killing thousands of people.