People Committed to the Prophet’s Teachings for Propagation and Jihad is an Islamist extremist group operating across large parts of Nigeria.
Founded by Islamic scholar Mohammed Yusuf in the city of Maiduguri in 2002, Boko Haram initially functioned as a social movement that provided basic services to the poor. The group also lobbied for the full implementation of the Islamic system of governance, commonly known as sharia law, across Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.