Boko Haram Faction Beheads Two Women In Borno Community Over Alleged Charm Use, Idolatry

Shirk is an Islamic term that refers to the sin of associating partners with Allah or attributing divine qualities to anyone or anything other than Allah.

Fighters belonging to the Boko Haram faction loyal to Ali Ngulde have reportedly beheaded two women in the Mandara Mountain axis of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State after accusing them of engaging in shirk (idolatry).

Shirk is an Islamic term that refers to the sin of associating partners with Allah or attributing divine qualities to anyone or anything other than Allah.

Sources familiar with the activities of insurgents in the area told counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, that the victims were intercepted during a routine search conducted by the terrorists around their mountain settlements.

According to the sources, the insurgents claimed the women were caught with charms (layu), which they immediately interpreted as evidence of “forbidden practices”.

Makama reported that the women were dragged before the faction’s makeshift “trial” system, where the terrorists summarily declared them guilty.

According to Makama, in a video of the incident that was obtained, they accused the women of practising shirk after they found some charms on them.

“The terrorists took them to a secluded part of the mountains and executed them after the so-called trial,” the source was quoted as saying.

He added that the execution was carried out publicly in the presence of fighters and civilians living under the group’s control, in a bid to instill fear and ensure strict obedience to the faction’s hardline doctrines.

Zagazola further reported that the Ali Ngulde’s faction has recently intensified brutal punitive measures against individuals accused of sorcery, spying, or attempting to defect from the group.