Boko Haram and the Chibok kidnapping

Abstract This chapter explores the robust marketplace of ideas about Islam in Northern Nigeria and the evolution of dissidence to contextualize the rise of Boko Haram and the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. It problematizes Boko Haram’s ideology, grievances, objectives, and recruitment. The chapter also examines the implications of the division within Boko Haram and the rationale behind the kidnapping of the Chibok girls. The chapter demonstrates that the dissidence embodied by Boko Haram is one of several forms of manifestation of Islamism in Northern Nigeria. The interplay of factors that led to the kidnapping of the Chibok girls is explored. Overall, the Chibok kidnapping is articulated as a prism for understanding terrorism and the landscape of human rights advocacy in Africa.