Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - Mohammed Yusuf ne ya kafa kungiyar a 2002, Abubakar Shekau ne ya jagoranci kungiyar daga 2009 har zuwa mutuwarsa a 2021, kodayake ta rabu zuwa wasu kungiyoyi bayan mutuwar Yusuf da kuma a shekarar 2015. Lokacin da aka fara kafa kungiyar, babban burin su shi ne "tsarkake" Musulunci a arewacin Najeriya, suna ganin ya kamata a jinkirta jihadi har sai kungiyar ta sami karfin da za ta iya kifar da gwamnatin Najeriya. Kungiyar a baya ta hada kai da kungiyar Islamic State of Iraq da Levant. An san kungiyar da zalunci, kuma tun lokacin da 'yan tawaye suka fara a shekarar 2009
, Boko Haram ta kashe dubun dubatar mutane, a hare-haren da ake kaiwa kan 'yan sanda, dakarun soji da fararen hula. Ya kori mutane miliyan 2.3 daga gidajensu kuma ya kasance a lokacin wani ɓangare na tsakiyar 2010s ƙungiyar ta'addanci mafi haɗari a duniya bisa ga Ƙididdigar Ta'addanci na Duniya. Kungiyar Boko Haram ta ba da gudummawa ga rikicin abinci da yunwa a yankin.