Theories of Boko Haram insurgen 

It is common knowledge that a problem whose origins we have not taken enough pains to trace is often difficult to solve. It is like treating the symptoms of a disease, without running adequate diagnostics to identify the precise triggers of the symptoms. This is especially true of political problems, including the ongoing security crisis for which the Boko Haram terrorist group is held largely responsible. The urgency to solve this problem has been heightened by the recent waves of terrorist activities, including the audacious abduction of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.

Given the public outcry over the government’s enduring failure in effectively dealing with Boko Haram’s insurgency, questions must now be raised about the origins, motives, objectives, sponsors, and targets of Boko Haram’s terrorist activities. Unless and until these questions are satisfactorily answered, ad hoc responses to Boko Haram’s terrorist attacks would be analogous to merely treating the symptoms of a disease.

A first step is to understand the history of the North-East zone, encompassing Borno, Adamawa, Bauchi, Yobe, and Gombe states, in which Boko Haram’s operations are rooted. This zone was central to the Bornu Empire, which operated as a sovereign Sultanate run according to the principles of the Constitution of Medina. With a majority Kanuri population, the Bornu Sultanate maintained its distinction from the Sokoto Caliphate of the Hausa/Fulani to the west, even after the two came under British control in 1903.

The people of the zone resisted colonial authority as much as they resisted the influence of the Sokoto Caliphate. The Kanuri were particularly suspicious of Christian missionaries who used Western education as a tool for proselytisation. Increased dissatisfaction among them and others in the zone gave rise to many fundamentalists, whose opposition went beyond Western education. Mohammed Marwa, also known as Maitatsine, was such a fundamentalist. The riots he instigated in 1980 resulted in the deaths of thousands of people. Some analysts view Boko Haram as an extension of the Maitatsine riots.

Police admit ‘evidence of drugs’ was found in Peaches Geldof’s home

Police have confirmed drugs were found in Peaches Geldof’s home after her death (Picture: PA)

Police have confirmed that drugs paraphernalia was found in the home of Peaches Geldof following her death – despite previous reports to the contrary.

Prince Charles unintentionally gatecrashes wedding

The Prince of Wales offers his congratulations to newlyweds Barry and Kirstie Rooney (Picture: PA)

Uninvited guests are not normally welcome at a wedding but when Prince Charles showed up unannounced at this couple’s union, they couldn’t turn him away.
The Royal stumbled upon the nuptials of Private Barry Rooney, 28, and his new wife Kirstie, 22, while he was in Ayr for a parade by the Queen’s Own Yeomanry.

The ‘female version of Simon Cowell’ Mel B ‘offered £1m to join The X Factor 2014′

Simon Cowell is apparently keen to get Mel B on board (Picture: Getty Images)

Mel B is reportedly being offered the scary sum of £1 million to become a judge on The Factor this year.
X Factor head honcho Simon Cowell is said to be keen to secure the former Spice Girl before auditions for this year’s run kick off in June.
Mel is said to have been in serious talks with ITV bosses, and it’s only a matter of ironing out scheduling issues.

Katie Price pregnant with fifth child (and she didn’t even realise until she was six months gone!)

Katie Price and Kieran Hayler are expecting their second child together (Picture: Twitter)

Katie Price is clearly not one for morning sickness as she has been left ‘completely shocked’ at discovering she is six months pregnant with her fifth tot.
The former glamour model realised she was pregnant with her and husband Kieran Hayler’s second child together during a family holiday in Cape Verde last month.

Kickstarter campaign raising money for new calorie-counting food scanner to change diets forever

The SCiO can even tell you the calories in a cocktail (Picture: Consumer Physics, Inc)

Dieting is never easy, but thanks to a new gadget you might finally be able to find out the calories in your food while on the go.
Israel-based company Consumer Physics Inc. have invented a pocket-sized sensor, SCiO, that reveals the chemical make-up of pretty much anything and sends it straight to your phone.
In short, it means you’ll be able to see the calories, protein, fat and other nutrients in any type of food – terrifying, yes, but it could transform the way we eat and diet.

Anastacia: I’m as fragile and as broken as anyone else

Anastacia says the industry has changed during her time away (Picture: Ralf Strathmann)

Breast cancer survivor Anastacia is back with new album Resurrection. She talks about her aim to spread her grateful energy.
‘I’m not saying “mastectomies for everyone!”,’ says Anastacia Newkirk. The US singer decided to undergo a double mastectomy last year after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. ‘It’s not an easy decision for any woman,’ she adds, ‘but for me it was an empowering one.’
Newkirk, 45, originally underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2003 when she had a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. ‘The second time, I was told I had breast cancer and that it was in the other breast,’ she says. ‘I thought: “I’ve been down this road before and I know it could mean getting it a third time, I’m not really into that idea so what can I do?”’
She had investigated the possibility of a double mastectomy years earlier. ‘I thought because I’d had the idea in the back of my mind, it would be easier to have the operation but it wasn’t,’ she says. ‘It’s a serious life change – you’re removing part of your body. But I knew I could do it and not have radiation and wouldn’t have to go down that road again – and I’d come out of it breast cancer-free.
‘For me, there was no other choice. I don’t like to gamble. I don’t know if I’ll get another type of cancer, I’m not a crystal ball reader, but I do know now I won’t go through breast cancer again and there’s a sense of freedom I get from that.’