A report carried on page 30 of yesterday’s edition of The Independent published in London highlights growing concern by intelligence agencies that what had been considered as mere symbolic links between the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Nigeria’s Boko Haram may have developed into something more detrimental.

The British newspaper categorically reports that it is feared that ISIS, which is fast redefining terrorism, may now be offering advice on strategy and tactics to Nigeria’s current nightmare – Boko Haram.

According to the paper, “intelligence agencies are concerned that what were once symbolic links between Isis and Boko Haram have now developed into a practical relationship with the Islamic State offering advice on strategy and tactics.”

The Independent explained that Boko Haram appears to have been emboldened by its recent gains and was “beginning to operate more like a conventional army in Borno and the neighbouring north-eastern states of Adamawa and Yobe”.

Nigerian military authorities, who continue to contest the alleged gains by Boko Haram, say counter-offensives have been launched to rout them.

However, The Independent report, authored by Cahal Milmo and Tom Witherow, quoted Nigeria Security Network, a coalition of security experts and academics, as saying “unless swift action is taken, Nigeria could be facing a rapid takeover of a large area of its territory reminiscent of Isis’s lightning advances in Iraq.”

The paper further noted that, “the nature of the threat was further underlined on Monday when a senior politician in Borno admitted that civil life in the state, home to three million people, has ground to a halt”.

It recalled that the secretary to the Borno State government, Alhaji Baba Ahmad Jidda, had warned that, while most parts of Borno State were currently being occupied by Boko Haram insurgents, “government presence and administration was minimal or non-existent across many parts of the state, with economic, commercial and social services totally subdued, while schools and clinics remain closed”.

Continuing, the SSG was quoted to have informed that “most settlements in the affected areas in the state have either been deserted or access to them is practically impossible. The threat to security of lives and property as a result of the criminal activities of the Boko Haram insurgents is everywhere.”