As co-president of the political affairs committee within the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, to which Nigeria forms part, I find myself horrified at the latest attacks in north-eastern Nigeria. Since last month, around four hundred civilians have been killed in the north-eastern part of the country, most of which were Christians. Although they have not officially claimed responsibility for them, attacks are believed to have been carried out by Boko Haram as part of the group's efforts to create an Islamic State.

Since the day it was founded in 2002, Boko Haram has been creating havocs in Nigeria. This militant Islamist group regards everything which is considered as Western to be sinful. Thus, they believe that it is forbidden to take part in any social or political activities which are associated with the Western world. This means that they are against elections and secular education. Despite the fact that Nigeria had a Muslim President, Boko Haram still regarded the Nigerian state as one which was being run by non-believers.

In 2009 Boko Haram attacked a number of government buildings and police stations, making it clear that they are serious about creating a pure Islamic State. The attacks were designed so as to further undermine the federal government's credibility and it power.

This group is well-known for its indiscriminate attacks and its use of extreme violence. In their attempts to establish Islamic law in Nigeria, Boko Haram makes use of petrol bombs and massive gun firing. In their raids, they burn down village homes and shops as well as kill villagers, including children.  Over three thousand people in north-east Nigeria have died as a result of their violent attacks in the last five years.

Recent reports from Nigeria have shed light on the atrocious state in which many civilians, most of which Christians, find themselves in. This bloodshed has also resulted in an escalation of fear amongst Nigerian citizens, who have now realized the government's inability to protect them and secure the rule of law. Many Nigerian citizens have been forced to flee their own homes due to fear of more violence.

Recent events show that once again the government alone is not successful in protecting its citizens or deterring further attacks. Last week, government planes seeking to bomb Boko Haram camps dropped their bombs over the village of Daglun instead. This did not only lead to more casualties and wounded citizens, but it also weakened the people's faith in their government.

The Nigerian government's inability to provide protection led young Nigerian villagers to take their hometown's protection into their own hands in mid-2013. 

Groups of young civilians known as the Civilian Joint Task Force first came together in the area of Maiduguri last year in an attempt to reduce the daily violent attacks. These young citizens know the terrain and their people better than any member of the military, which enabled them to identify suspected Boko Haram members and thus reduce violent attacks in their town.

When several towns started to adopt Maiduguri's security concept for their own protection in the last semester of 2013, the region started experiencing an increase in the number of rural vs. urban attacks.

The increase in number of these CJTF groups brought safer urban centres, but it also led to an increase in indiscriminate violence by Boko Haram in Borno's rural areas as a way of punishing the urban centres for their youth groups. In fact, most of these attacks have come coupled with threats to members of CJTF groups in Borno.

A few weeks ago, members of Boko Haram reportedly gathered a number of men in the village square of Izghe and shot them. Izghe is known to be a Christian farming village. Subsequently, they went door-to-door looking for those who might have been hiding and shot anyone they found. In certain areas, bodies of victims were left lying in the streets.

In another case, they opened fire on a number of civilians, causing them to hide in the River Chad. Most civilians who avoided the shooting ended up drowning.  Another attack followed, this time in the town of Bama, where 1,500 buildings were set on fire and 115 people were left dead.

One of the latest attacks involved a public boys' boarding school, where forty-five children were slaughtered. Some of the victims were as young as thirteen years of age. 

Boko Haram attacks are no longer limited to targeting Christian churches and police stations, but every single Christian villager, regardless of age or gender, can be considered as a target.

The Nigerian government needs to step up and ensure proper training for the youth groups as well as more military support in both urban and rural centres. The violence being experienced by innocent Nigerian citizens is atrocious. I call for an end to violence and for an increase in international awareness of the situation in Nigeria.

David Casa is the PN’s head of delegation in the European Parliament