A member
of a gang in Niger says Boko Haram Islamist militants from Nigeria
regularly come across the border, looking for recruits."We can't contact them, they come to us," says the young man, who looks like he is barely out of his teens.
Five members of this gang in Diffa, near the border, have joined the group; two have since been killed on operations, he says.
We have no jobs; some of us are still at high school but we need money. Violence has become a form of work for us”
Diffa gang member In total there are about a dozen gang members in a tiny, dark room, built with local mud-bricks.
There are a couple of homemade stools and weights for them to exercise just outside the door.
When I ask if they agree with Boko Haram's reason for fighting, they answer in unison: "No. We only do it for the money." They had agreed to meet us earlier on a street corner in Diffa.
Arriving one by one, they all wore skinny jeans, bright coloured T-shirts and shiny chains - like those seen around the necks of American rappers on music videos. Their attitude and brand new clothes make them stand out when they walk down the dusty streets of Diffa.
The fashion style is clearly inspired by Western consumerism rather than Islamist militancy.
The gang members agreed to talk to us on the condition that we would not reveal their identity.
"We break into houses for cash; sometimes we beat people for money, we steal their animals so we can eat and then we gather up and take Tramol [an opiate drug], smoke ganja [marijuana] and drink alcohol," one says.
"We have no jobs; some of us are still at high school but we need money. Violence has become a form of work for us."
Taking us back to their hangout, they explained their association with the Nigerian militants. "They have paid 500,000 Nigerian naira ($3,085, £1,835) to those of us who followed them over there," one of the young men says. "The rest of us, here, we give them information. "When they come, we inform them about what's going on, what the security forces are up to."
But the ideals for which Boko Haram is fighting - the imposition of strict Sharia, an Islamist caliphate and the banning of Western education - hold no interest for them.
Officials in the region say that several attacks allegedly planned by Boko Haram on Niger's territory have been foiled over the last months; and dozens of men suspected to have links to the group have been arrested.
"We know that Boko Haram members come across the border, but we are watching them closely," Diffa government representative Inoussa Saouna, says.
"Just last December, we arrested two dozens of men - we believe they were planning to kidnap the regional governor, the military zone commander and myself."
Military police, customs officers, as well as national guards conduct daily patrols along the porous border to mitigate the threat. On paper, the border is supposed to be secured by joint patrols with soldiers from both countries. However, they have yet to start.
Most cars showing Nigerian plates come from Borno State bearing the slogan "Home of peace". But this seems a reality long gone for the north-eastern state where Boko Haram was born and has its bases.
The UN refugee agency says more than 50,000 people have now crossed into Niger, fleeing the relentless violence.
Human rights groups estimate that more 1,500 people have been killed in the north-east of Nigeria since the start of the year alone.
Niger has not set up camps for the more than 50,000 Nigerians who have fled the violence in Borno state….
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