Boko Haram
Jihadist insurgent group founded in Maiduguri in 2002; active across the Lake Chad basin.
Boko Haram is the main target of Nigeria's armed drones, a fleet set to grow: on 25 October 2026 the air force named 14 more it expects, 12 of them Turkish.
Last refreshed: 26 October 2026
Nigeria is adding armed drones; can air power end a 17-year Boko Haram insurgency?
Timeline for Boko Haram
Mentioned in: Nigeria lists 12 Aksungur armed drones
Drones: Industry & DefenceBackground
Boko Haram is the main target of the Nigerian Air Force's armed drones. CH-3 drones from China, acquired in the mid-2010s, were the first flown against the group. The air force's expected-aircraft list of 25 October 2026 adds a dozen Turkish Aksungurs and a pair of CH-4Ds.
Mohammed Yusuf founded the group in Maiduguri, Borno State, in 2002; its formal name is Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad. Its armed insurgency began in 2009. In April 2014 it abducted 276 schoolgirls from Chibok. Leader Abubakar Shekau pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in March 2015, and in 2016 the movement split, with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) becoming a separate group. Shekau died in May 2021; Bakura Doro has led Boko Haram since 2022.
The insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced about 2.3 million, at least 250,000 of them into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
What is Boko Haram?
Who leads Boko Haram now?
What is the difference between Boko Haram and ISWAP?
How is Nigeria fighting Boko Haram from the air?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.