Integrity Journal of Arts and Humanities

The paper describes Islam in the Sahel region, prior to the advent of Usman Dan Fodio, who through Jihad, upset the established Islam and replaced same with a new form of Islam, which was said to be purer. He believed that, the Islamic ideology which had been in place around the Sahel region had been syncretic and should therefore be replaced. It does appear that, this development had formed the foundation for the present puritan struggle, led by the insurgents in the North East of Nigeria, where Islam had initially started off in Nigeria. The paper traces the basic beliefs and teachings of members of the Boko-Haram and their splinter groups, which clearly contradict the known Islamic standards. To this end, members of Boko-Haram had thrown caution to the winds as regards western education. It totally abhors and condemns western education and all its attendant paraphernalia. This belief system has set the extremists in collusion with the law enforcement agencies of Nigeria. The war has dragged on for so long, despite the fact that the leadership of the insurgency had been decimated severally. The lesson learnt has been that it would be very difficult to defeat the insurgents, as they continue to metamorphose and develop into splinter groups. To make the situation worse, the researcher discovered that, the insurgents are now internationally affiliated