Boko Haram State (2013–2015)

This chapter provides a detailed account of Boko Haram’s ambitious attempt at establishing an Islamic caliphate in captured territories across the northern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. It shows Boko Haram at its glorious peak of insurgency scoring some relative amount of success against the surprisingly helpless and under-motivated Nigerian military. The chapter reveals Boko Haram’s guerrilla and terrorist tactics and brazen attacks during this period: 2013-2015, including its infamous kidnap of nearly 300 boarding school girls in Chibok local government area of Borno state, the successful raiding and suspension of the strongly fortified military post at Baga town in Borno state that enabled one of its highest number of recorded killings- up to 2000 people in three days. The chapter provides textual evidence that relays a graphic portrayal of Boko Haram’s extra-territorial ambition that involves verbal threats to Western interests, denunciation of attacks on Muslims across the globe and actual terrorist attacks in neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameroon.