The Making of Boko Haram: An Essential History
By (Author) Dr Akali Omeni
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Bloomsbury Academic
5th March 2026
United Kingdom
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Terrorism, armed struggle
Religion and politics
Paperback
296
Width 156mm, Height 234mm
An essential and timely exploration of Boko Haram, a terror group whose violence has surpassed every other modern terror group including that of Daesh, al Qaeda and Al-Shabaab.
This key volume constitutes a vital resource on Boko Harams ideology, history, leadership, and pivot towards violence. With particular emphasis on the events, personalities, radical histories and Islamic discourses that shaped Boko Harams rise, the volume examines the movements formative years under Muhammad Yusuf and its evolution into one of the worlds most violent terror groups. Delving into the traditions, institutional structures and politicisation of sharia (Islamic law) in Northern Nigeria, this ground-breaking volume offers crucial insights into Boko Haram as a social movement that exploits political Islam towards deadly ends.
omeni is the principal consultant at Terrorism Studies Consultancy and a visiting professor at Boston University. He has taught at the War Studies Department, Kings College London, at the University of Leicester, and at the University of St Andrews, UK, where he was Senior Lecturer. He is the author of Policing and Politics in Nigeria (2022), Insurgency and War in Nigeria (2019), Counter-Insurgency in Nigeria (2017) and Picking Sides: Race, Ethnicity and Recruitment in the Colonial Nigerian Army (forthcoming).