Later that year, on Christmas Eve, the group attacked two Christian churches in Maiduguri and detonated explosives in Christian neighbourhoods in Jos, in Plateau state, the latter attack killing more than 30 people.Д«oko HaramвЂ™s attacks increased in frequency and magnitude, killing and injuring many.

One early operation that garnered widespread attention occurred in September 2010, when the group attacked a prison in the city of Bauchi, in Bauchi state, and released more than 700 inmates, including some 100 Boko Haram members. In the summer of 2010, the group began to assassinate individuals, typically police officers, and also attacked larger targets. A few days later the bullet-riddled corpses of Yusuf and his colleagues-including that of his father-in-law, Baba Fugu Mohammed, who had willingly handed himself over to the police for questioning-were displayed in public the extrajudicial killings by the police infuriated the group as well as others.ДЄfter that incident, Boko Haram appeared to be disbanded, or at least inactive, until the next year, when a video was made public in which YusufвЂ™s deputy, Abubakar Shekau, declared that he was the groupвЂ™s new leader and vowed to avenge the deaths of Yusuf and the others. Yusuf and other leaders were arrested by the military and handed over to the police. The ensuing Joint Military Task Force operation left more than 700 Boko Haram members dead and destroyed the mosque that the group used as its headquarters. When the police could not bring the situation under control, the army was brought in. Early activityД«oko Haram gained widespread exposure in July 2009 when, after an incident in which group members were allegedly subjected to the excessive use of force by police and then were unable to get official investigation into the matter, the group launched attacks on police posts and other government installations, killing scores of police officers. The group blames Western influences for NigeriaвЂ™s culture of corruption, which has contributed to a wide gap between the few rich and the many poor. This, in turn, was popularly interpreted as вЂњWestern education is a sinвЂќ or вЂњWestern education is forbidden.вЂќ Ideologically, Boko Haram is against Westernization, which it views as negatively impacting Islamic values. Although the original name of the group is JamДЃКїat Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-DaКїawah wa al-JihДЃd (often translated as вЂњAssociation of the People of the Sunnah for Preaching and JihadвЂќ or вЂњPeople Committed to the ProphetвЂ™s Teaching for Propagation and JihadвЂќ), the name Boko Haram, which means вЂњWesternization is sacrilege,вЂќ was given to the group by neighbours based on how they viewed its lifestyle and teachings.

Yusuf established the group in Maiduguri, the capital of the northeastern state of Borno, Nigeria. The next year the group split, with one faction retaining that name and the other reverting back to the original appellation. In 2015 the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and took the name Islamic State (or StateвЂ™s) West African Province (ISWAP also known as Islamic State in West Africa, or ISWA). Later the group vowed to avenge the deaths of Yusuf and other group members, who were killed by security forces in 2009. The groupвЂ™s initial proclaimed intent was to uproot the corruption and injustice in Nigeria, which it blamed on Western influences, and to impose SharД«Кїah, or Islamic law.

Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Д«oko Haram, (Hausa: вЂњWesternization Is SacrilegeвЂќ) byname of JamДЃКїat Ahl al-Sunnah li-l-DaКїawah wa al-JihДЃd (Arabic: вЂњPeople Committed to the ProphetвЂ™s Teachings for Propagation and JihadвЂќ), from 2015 also called Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) or Islamic StateвЂ™s West African Province (ISWAP), Islamic sectarian movement, founded in 2002 by Muhammed Yusuf in northeastern Nigeria, that since 2009 has carried out assassinations and large-scale acts of violence in that country.

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