Boko Haram along with 16 others in exchange for a ransom of $3.15 million. As well as extortion from local residents, Boko Haram has claimed to extort money from local state governments. A spokesman of Boko Haram claimed that Kano state governor Ibrahim Shekarau and Bauchi state governor Isa Yuguda had paid them monthly. It has long been alleged that Boko Haram had a relationship with al-Qaeda. In 2011, letters from Boko Haram were reportedly found in bin Laden's compound. Three weeks after the 2009 Boko Haram uprising began, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb expressed sympathy for Boko Haram. Speaking by phone
Fallen Sanctuary the band a new direction for the album's name. "Fallen Sanctuary" was chosen, describing "the point or a statement the band was looking for." Track 11, "Journey's End", on the Limited Edition album, also appeared in its original state on the band's demo Engraved Within. The album produced the band's first single "Velatum." The word is appropriate for the single as it is the past participle of "velare," meaning to cover, wrap, hide, or conceal. The song itself refers to a hidden or concealed mystery of past lives. The LTD/Digipack version of "Fallen Sanctuary" also contains the band's first video