Nigeria’s new Defence Intelligence Chief has traced the origin of the Boko Haram insurgency group.

Major General Sardauna Davies says the group started some 15 years ago in the Middle East.

He laments that the intelligence agencies in the country failed to foresee the activities of the group as an emerging threat.

The insurgent group has an infamous reputation for having killed more people than the so called Islamic State.

The Nigerian government, in the last one year, insists it has degraded the group’s capacity to take and hold any Nigerian territory, even though the insurgents continue to launch fierce attacks, particularly suicide bombings.

Little was known about the group until 2009 when it became violent.

Now, more investigations have been conducted to better understand the operations of the group and its philosophy, in order to curtail their activities.

The most recent of such investigations may have prompted this remark by the Chief of Defence Intelligence.

Aside the failure to act, the Defence Chief is concerned that there are emerging security challenges of different forms and sophistication. (TVC)

•Photo shows Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.