TheCable

Boko Haram has changed its name to the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) in what is seen as the next in a line of moves to assume a proper regional insurgency force.

This was announced on Thursday through some pictures that the insurgent group uploaded on social media, according to the BBC.

On March 7, Abubakar Shekau, leader of the group, released an audio message, pledging alliance to the notorious Islamic State in Syria and Iraq (ISIS).

“We pledge allegiance to the caliphate because of the interest of the Ummah in their religion and in their Dunya to have an Imam that looks after them according to Allah’s rule and fight the enemy of Islam and those who fights the rule of Allah and this is the completeness of the religion,” Shekauhad had said.

“We pledge allegiance because there is no cure of the dissimilarity that Ummah have except the caliphate. By Allah, our gathering under one banner, under one Imam is heavier to the enemy’s morality than for them to attain victory on the battle field.”

Exactly five days later, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, spokesman of ISIS, which has large parts of Syria and Iraq under its control, announced the acceptance of Boko Haram’s pledge in a message entitled ‘Kill and be Killed’.

“We announce to you to the good news of the expansion of the caliphate to West Africa because the caliph… has accepted the allegiance of  our brothers of the Sunni group for preaching and the jihad,” al-Adnani had said.

Boko Haram has unleashed mayhem on Nigeria and some neighbouring African countries but the group’s excesses have been contained to a large extent in recent times.