Status Updates From Boko Haram: The History of ...

“Boko Haram’s violence now frequently targets Nigeria’s neighbors. In response, these governments have become more authoritarian, and regions already impoverished in comparison with others in their countries, risk being further underserved. Compounding these regions’ predicament is the humanitarian disaster that Boko Haram has caused.”

What Boko Haram did after the execution of its leader was to present itself as the victim of state violence, rather than as the aggressor. They used a contemporary event of violence against them as an opportunity to whitewash their own hands of a long history of oppression, much like Israel does every time they are hit - a big bang to silence all the previous bangs.