The latest violent Islamist faction to emerge in Nigeria is Ansaru, is a self-professed splinter group of Boko Haram. Ansaru was first detected in December 2012, but has recently stepped up kidnapping and hostage taking to further its goals.
Ansarus Arabic name, Jamaatu Ansarul Muslimina Fi Bidalis Sudan, means, “Vanguards for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa.”Why care about this group? They specialize in targeted expats working in Nigeria, and have specifically issued statements regarding “transgressions and atrocities done to the religion of Allah” by the West.
