Today the Voice of America airs the first installment of a four-part broadcast series, “Boko Haram: Terror Unmasked,” that provides an unprecedented look inside one of the world’s deadliest extremists groups.
The series draws on 18 hours of raw video recorded by Boko Haram and obtained by VOA. The graphic videos capture rare, behind-the-scenes events in which Boko Haram militants commit multiple atrocities against Nigerian civilians as they held power across a vast swath of the country.
A child is flogged in public. Purported drug users are executed with shots to the heart and head – all in front of chanting crowds policed by gun-toting Boko Haram militia.
VOA journalists spent months reviewing and translating the Boko Haram videos and traveled to northeast Nigeria to visit some of the locations. They also spoke with Nigerian military and government officials to assess claims that a new offensive has Boko Haram on the run.
The series airs this week on VOA’s Africa 54 and Straight Talk Africa TV programs, and on VOA’s Hausa, Bambara, Somali and Swahili language service outlets. A multimedia version can be seen on the web at voanews.com.
“I believe we have an obligation to bring this story to the world, despite the often graphic nature of the video,” said VOA Director Amanda Bennett. “This VOA-produced series provides an exclusive look at the brutal impact this terror group has had on the region from an inside perspective.”
This entire series can be viewed here in English.
