ai, explain the current Nigerian War :

Nigeria is not currently in a single, unified war, but rather facing multiple overlapping armed conflicts and security crises across different regions.  The most persistent is the Islamist insurgency in the northeast, led by Boko Haram and its splinter faction Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), which have waged a campaign since 2009 to establish an Islamic state, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and over two million displaced.

Armed banditry in the northwest represents another major crisis, where criminal gangs—often ethnically Fulani—engage in mass kidnappings for ransom, attacks on villages, and control of rural areas.  These groups are largely motivated by profit rather than ideology, though they sometimes align with or are conflated with jihadist elements. In central Nigeria, herder-farmer conflicts over land and resources have escalated into violent clashes, often along ethnic and religious lines, further destabilizing the region.

Additional threats include:

Lakurawa, an Islamist group linked to ISIS-Sahel, active in Sokoto and Kebbi states, which evolved from a self-defense group into a militant force.

Separatist agitation in the southeast by groups seeking Biafran independence, though this remains largely non-military compared to other flashpoints.

U.S. military strikes in December 2025 targeted ISIS-linked militants in Sokoto, highlighting international concern, though the Nigerian government maintains coordination and downplays religious targeting.

The army and police are overstretched, operating in two-thirds of states, while civilians face ongoing risks of atrocity crimes.  The UN and ICC have raised concerns over human rights violations by both armed groups and security forces, with impunity and weak governance fuelling the cycles of violence.


US involved, so Nigeria must have resources they want to steal.