Public affairs analyst Dr. Majeed Dahiru has cited the case of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, convicted in the United States for attempting to murder 289 people, as evidence that terrorism in Nigeria is driven by ideology rather than poverty.
Dr. Dahiru speaking in an interview with Channels TV from 17:34, highlighted Abdulmutallab’s privileged background. “The Christmas Day bomber that was arrested in the US is the son of a billionaire in Nigeria, an American-educated son of a billionaire, but he wanted to carry out an act of terrorism based on inspiration by an ideological leaning that has radicalized an entire generation of young men and women from northern Nigeria,” he said.
The analyst argued that terror group leadership includes wealthy and highly educated individuals. “Among the rank and file of these terror groups are some of the most educated, most exposed, and well-to-do Nigerians, as well as those that support them from across the world, particularly from the Middle East. It’s an ideological problem, and that is why you have this problem even in the West. Some people left their comfort zone from the Western world and willingly subscribed to ISIS in Syria and in Iraq,” Dr. Dahiru stated.
He further asserted that economic factors play minimal roles in terrorism perpetrated by groups like ISWAP, Boko Haram, and Lakurawa against the Nigerian state. He argued that these insurgencies stem from radical ideological commitments rather than social or economic underdevelopment. View, More,
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