The killer of Gideon Akaluka Emir of Kano Sanusi says early marriage, internet fuelling Boko Haram terrorists

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II yesterday declared that forceful marriage of young girls and exposure of youths to information technology and social media are major root causes of   youths becoming members of Boko Haram insurgency and similar social vices in the country.

Delivering his address at the 10th Annual Ramadan Lecture organized by Voice of Nigeria (VON), NTA and FRCN held in Kaduna, the Emir explained that a product of girl child marriage does not enjoy any parental care, and as such he or she quickly finds interest in insurgent activities at youthful age.

He added that youths learn fast, new ideologies from the internet and after watching they go to Iraqi and Syria to join Jihadist groups.

The Emir tasked the Muslim Ummah to take up the challenges in giving both western and Islamic education to the youths, and teach them to follow the right direction according to Islamic injunctions.

According to the Emir, “Are we still living in the era which father can force their daughters into marriage without their permission? Yes we are. Early marriage, yes we are in Nigeria. And it is hurting and destroying our society. We are the ones to address these social issues because they are problems.

“And you know from taking her out of school and forcing her into marriage without education result to having a child from her who does not have a mother that can give the child proper training. That is a child that gets on drugs, Indian hemp or joins Boko Haram. All these things are connected. We have to face these challenges.

“Information technology and emergence of internet and social media, today youth go on the computer and they learn Islam from Facebook and twitter. They learn Islam from videos, they watch on Facebook and after 14 to 15 hours watching new things, they need to become jihadists.

“They get up and go to Iraq or Syria or somewhere and join the group. And there are no controls. Right inside your house, your son can be sitting upstairs in the bedroom getting indoctrinated into becoming an extremist without your knowledge. We need to watch what our children watch. And we need to talk to them. If we do not give them the correct Islamic education, they will find the wrong education on the internet.

According to the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, “Now, this is very important because we have spent so much time in ignorance. I know we must send our children to school to acquire western education which is very important. You have children going to England and becoming radicalised in American on the internet not only in the Muslim countries