No ’swelling of ranks
Divisions remain on how much of a threat the group poses – and how to deal with it.
Information ministry spokesman Sunday Dare says support for the militants’ cause is waning.
We live in a country where people are quite educated and I guess people are happy to make their decisions about Western
education or otherwise and how it corrupts their values,” he says.
“I don’t see a swelling in their ranks at all.”
And Patrick Wilmot, a former lecturer at Jos university, said mainstream Muslims look on the so-called Taliban as “crazy”.
“They don’t need to be taken that seriously, they just need to be monitored.”
The BBC’s Caroline Duffield, in Lagos, says the group’s member have isolated themselves from the rest of the community.
She says there have been incidents where local groups have prevented them from meeting in mosques and there is very little
support for their stance in the wider community.
But the upsurge in violence has caused real alarm throughout Nigeria.
More than 300 people – mostly militants – were killed as a wave of unrest spread from the city of Bauchi on Sunday through
Borno, Yobe and Kano states the following day.
And while Mr Yusuf’s death will obviously weaken the group, it could also spark calls for revenge attacks from those of his
followers who have survived this deadly week.
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