Big News: Boko Haram Joins Islamic State – And Then Slaughters 54 People in Nigeria --- UPDATED

#BokoHaram released a video pledging allegiance to #ISIS and its leader Abu Baker al-Baghdadi
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) March 7, 2015

#BokoHaram,Shekau:"We announce our allegiance to the Caliph...& will hear & obey in times of difficulty & prosperity" pic.twitter.com/VqzilAAyk5
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) March 7, 2015

Shekau: "We pledge because there is no cure of the dissimilarity that Ummah have except Caliphate, we also call all the Muslims to join us"
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) March 7, 2015

Jenan Moussa, a reporter for Al Aan TV confirmed the announcement by Boko Haram:

Just now: Boko Haram pledges allegiance to "the Caliph of the Muslims Abu Bakr Al- Baghdadi" #ISIS @akhbar pic.twitter.com/dM8r6aIFos
— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) March 7, 2015

AND THEN THEY DID THIS:

Suspected Boko Haram bombers killed at least 54 people and wounded 143 in a series of bloody suicide attacks Saturday in Maiduguri, Nigeria. 

The blasts occurred over four hours in locations from a busy fish market to a crowded bus station in the city, which is located in the northeast region of the country, Police Commissioner Element Adoda said. 

Witnesses reported scenes of gore with mangled bodies and injured victims lying on the ground. Maiduguri is the birthplace of the Islamic extremist group. The Nigerian military drove Boko Haram out of the city last year. 

The deadliest blast occurred at the bustling Baga fish market, where at least 18 people were killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a rickshaw taxi near the entrance. 

“I saw many dead bodies lying on the ground, many dead, and several others badly injured,” fish seller Idi Idrisa said.

UPDATE ---

From the New York Times:

Some experts say that the pledge, or “bayat,” made by the leader of Boko Haram is a spiritually binding oath, which indicates that the Nigerian Islamist group has agreed to accept the authority of the Islamic State. 

But as with similar pledges to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, by other extremist groups, there are few details about how much direct control the Islamic State leaders have over their distant proxies. 

If confirmed, the agreement with Boko Haram would mirror the steps taken by Islamic State affiliates in Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Afghanistan and beyond. 

In each case, a group’s leaders swore allegiance in a public message posted online. Weeks later, the oath was formally accepted by the Islamic State, in a statement issued by the group’s spokesman. 

“It’s quite clear that since at least mid-January, the Islamic State has had some level of connection with Boko Haram,” said Aaron Y. Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute who tracks propaganda by Islamic extremists. 

“The key question is whether the Islamic State dispatched individuals from Syria or Iraq, or else from Libya, down to northern Nigeria to help out with operations on the ground, or else with methodology, or in terms of governance activities.” 

Boko Haram has an estimated 6,000 fighters and at least some level of control over approximately 20,000 square kilometers of northeastern Nigeria, according to Ryan Cummings, chief Africa analyst for red24, a crisis management group based in Britain, who has been following the group since 2011.