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 Haram’s ideology, history, leadership, and pivot towards violence.With particular emphasis on the events, personalities, radical histories and Islamic discourses that shaped Boko Haram’s rise, the volume examines the movement’s formative years under Muhammad Yusuf and its evolution into one of the world’s most violent terror groups.Delving into the traditions, institutional structures and politicisation of shari‘a (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.