Boko Haram: why they became an affiliate of Daesh

Abstract: This study investigates the terror group Boko Haram in Nigeria, its’ history and its subsequent pledge to Daesh otherwise known as the Islamic State. By joining Daesh, the most ruthless terror group currently, it has thrust Boko Haram into the targets of regional and international coalitions begging the question why would they take such a step putting them at risk. This research paper aims to view Boko Haram as a rational collective entity thus seeking to underline factors as to why they deemed it beneficial to pledge allegiance to Daesh. This thesis tries to fill the gap of knowledge regarding why terror groups, in this case Boko Haram, pledged loyalty to another terror organization. This research paper is carried out and organized as a case study whilst applying the method of abduction and uses rational choice theory when analyzing the factors behind the pledge to explain what cost-benefit and/or rational choices could be seen. The findings show that social, religious, and financial utility on the collective level can help in analyzing the factors and the reasoning behind Boko Haram’s pledge to Daesh however I argue for another utility, that of knowledge, to be included when viewing factors behind other terror groups allying with one another.