(Speaking foreign language)
In 2002, a young charismatic religious leader,
Mohammed Yusuf, rises up and attracts a devoted following.
(Yelling)
Outsiders call his movement "Boko Haram",
roughly meaning "Western education is forbidden".
They're this religious commune
that cuts itself off from secular society, isn't violent.
What is there about it that would attract attention?
It's seen as a peaceful organization early on,
but its growing popularity in the north
and rumours of increased militancy
soon attract the attention of the Nigerian government.
He was running almost a separate state from the state
authorities, and something had to give at that point.
(Speaking foreign language)
The group's members begin an active resistance to Nigerian
laws, and are suspected of planning attacks on the state.
They started stockpiling weapons to be able to go to jihad
against the Nigerian state.
(Speaking foreign language)
The once peaceful movement is on the cusp of armed insurgency.
(Traffic noise)
To better understand the early days of Boko Haram,
we're meeting with a lawyer who knew many of the original
members, and still keeps in touch with them.
Aisha Wakil is better know by the nickname Maiduguri locals
gave her, Mama Boko Haram.
(Speaking foreign language)
Nice to meet you.
Thank you for meeting with us.
Young members of Boko Haram would come to visit her here,
back before the group embraced violence.
What do you think it was that caused this shift
from this peaceful resistance movement
that they were a part of to, "We need training,
we need AK-47s, we're different now"?
What happened?
Since the group's violent turn,
Wakil has tried to broker a peace agreement
between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram.
This sort of intervention has also made her a target.
Bam!
He tried to... pull the trigger and the gun didn't work?!
Even after incidents like this,
Wakil refuses to give up on her adopted children.
But Boko Haram shows no signs of slowing down.
During the 24 hours we've been in Maiduguri,
they've killed 54 people.