Youths of Nigerians living at the border town of Nigeria and Niger
Republic, Diffa, have confessed to be recruits by the Islamist
militant group, Boko Haram.
1 of the gang member in Niger told the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC) that the Islamist militants from Nigeria normally
come to the border, to look for recruits.
The gang members, said they were paid $3,085 (about N500,000) to join
the group and since they were jobless, they were ready to take the
cash, but with no interest in protecting Sharia law.
However, they said they were ready to strike if they were told to do
so, as they blamed their decision to join the militant group on their
joblessness.
They have paid Nigerian naira ($3,085, £1,835) to those of us who
followed them over to Nigeria, one of the young men said.
When they come, we inform them about what is going on, what the
security forces are up to.
We have no jobs; some of us are still at high school, but we need
money. Violence has become a form of work for us.
These confessions were revealed in a documentary published by the BBC,
on Tuesday, after Thomas Fessy, a BBC reporter visited Diffa region in
Niger Republic.
BBC made contacts with this local gang, who claimed they collaborated
with Boko Haram and agreed.
According to BBC documentary, five of these young Nigerians said they
had already joined the militant Boko Haram sect, while two other
members were killed in operations.
In total they were about 12 gang members in a small, dark room, built
with local mud-bricks.
When the reporter asked them: If you are asked to launch an attack
here, will you be ready to do that?
Their response:: Yes, we are ready. We have no job, so, we are ready.
That is what we are here for.
When the BBC reporter asked if they agreed with Boko Haram's reason
for fighting, they answered in unison: No. We are only doing it for
the money.
Arriving one by one to meet the BBC crew earlier on a street corner in
Diffa, they all wore skinny jeans, bright coloured T-shirts and shiny
chains, like those seen around the necks of American rappers on music
videos.
Their attitude and brand new clothes made them stand out when they
walked down the dusty streets of Diffa.
The fashion style is clearly inspired by Western consumerism rather
than Islamist militancy.
We break into houses for cash; sometimes we beat people for money, we
steal their animals so we can eat and then we gather up and take
Tramol (an opiate drug), smoke ganja indian hemp) and drink alcohol,
one of the gang members said.

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