Africa Defense Forum quotes Africa Center Director J. Peter Pham on the influence of ISIS on Boko Haram in Nigeria:
Although there have been no reports of ISIS movements in Nigeria, observers have seen its influence in the tactics and rhetoric of Boko Haram rebels in the northeast.
“There are no direct operational contacts,” said J. Peter Pham, head of the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council, in December 2014. “But it is quite clear that Boko Haram is paying attention to [ISIS,] and [ISIS] is paying attention to Boko Haram.”
In March, Boko Haram formally pledged allegiance to ISIS and al-Baghdadi endorsed the alliance calling Boko Haram “our jihadi brothers.”