Tracing the History of Jihad in Nigeria: From Usman dan Fodio to Boko Haram

Jihad in Nigeria has taken two distinct forms. The first was the 19th-century Sokoto Revolution led by Usman dan Fodio. He preached against corruption and un-Islamic practices in the Hausa states. His movement overthrew the city-states and established the Sokoto Caliphate, which endured until the British conquest in 1903. During colonial rule, jihadist ideas reemerged as anti-British and anti-collaborationist uprisings. Notable examples include the Satiru Rising of 1906 and the Maitatsine disturbances in the 1980s. These movements combined religious zeal with resistance to foreign influence and local authorities. The modern phase began with the foundation of Boko Haram in 2002. Under Mohammed Yusuf and later Abubakar Shekau, it evolved from rejecting Western education to a full-scale insurgency. A later split produced the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) alongside Shekau’s faction. While Usman dan Fodio’s legacy remains a cultural symbol, contemporary extremist groups are widely condemned by mainstream Muslim leaders.

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