Terminology
When addressing topics related to Boko Haram, it is important to note that the term serves as an umbrella definition for an armed group comprising internal factions. Most sources do not explicitly differentiate between the two main factions: Jamaatu Ahlis-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wal-Jihad (JAS) and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which may affect the specificity of information related to their activities, structures and areas of control.
When reporting on issues involving especially cult groups, herder-farmer conflicts, banditry (and in some instances, vigilante groups, separatist armed groups, Islamist groups), sources often use broad labels such as ‘criminals’, ‘gunmen’, ‘bandits’, ‘terrorists’ to describe perpetrators. Such terminology, at times, creates challenges in distinguishing between different groups and incidents, particularly as some actors overlap. Given the complex nature of these phenomena in Nigeria, it is not always possible to provide precise or clear-cut information about the actors involved.
Further, it is to be noted that some sources use the terms ‘human rights defenders’ and ‘activists’ interchangeably.