REASSESSING ISLAMIC REFORM MOVEMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: THE 1804 SOKOTO JIHAD AND THE BOKO HARAM PHENOMENON

This paper critically examines the perceived historical and ideological relationship between the 1804 Sokoto Jihad led by Sheikh Uthman dan Fodio and the contemporary Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. While Boko Haram’s founder, Muhammad Yusuf, frequently invoked the Sokoto Jihad to legitimize his campaign against Western education and secular governance, this study interrogates the validity of such claims. Drawing on historical sources, theological analysis, and secondary literature, the paper argues that Boko Haram’s ideological foundations and methods sharply diverge from those of the Sokoto Jihad. Whereas Dan Fodio’s movement was rooted in Islamic scholarship, moral reform, and resistance to social injustice, Boko Haram’s approach is characterized by extremism, violence, and a distorted interpretation of Jihad. The findings reveal that Boko Haram’s claim of continuity with the Sokoto Jihad is historically unfounded and theologically inconsistent. The study concludes that the 1804 Jihad represented a reformist and educational movement aimed at social justice, while Boko Haram’s insurgency constitutes a perversion of Islamic principles, driven more by political disillusionment and socio-economic grievances than by genuine religious reform.