Boko Haram Leader Killed in Chad, Niger Army Confirms
- The Niger army has cleared the doubts regarding the death of Ibrahim Bakoura, a leader of the jihadist group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin
- Niger's army revealed that the terrorist leader Bakura, whose real name was given as Ibrahim Mahamadu, was killed in a fighter jet strike
- Bakoura led a splinter group loyal to former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, refusing to join rival faction the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), moving to the islands on the Niger side of the lake with his fighters
Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
The Niger army has said that it had killed a leader of the jihadist group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad basin, where the country borders Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon.
Source: Getty Images
Bakura was reportedly killed during a “surgical operation” on an island in the Diffa region of southeast Niger last week.
According to a statement, Bakura was said to have led a splinter group loyal to former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, refusing to join rival faction the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and moving to the islands on the Niger side of the lake with his fighters.
The Niger army said in its statement that Bakura was targeted by a fighter jet early on August 15, calling him a “feared leader” of the group.
“Very early in the morning of August 15, an air force fighter aircraft launched three targeted and successive strikes on the positions Bakura used to occupy in Shilawa,” it added.
Source: Getty Images
Who is Ibrahim Bakoura?
Bakura, identified simply as Ibrahim Mahamadu, was said to be 40 years and originally from Nigeria, the Niger army said.
He reportedly joined Boko Haram more than 13 years ago and was said to have taken over the leadership of the group after Shekau’s death during jihadist infighting in May 2021.
As reported by Channels TV, Boko Haram’s insurgency against the government to establish an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria began in 2009, and has to date left some 40,000 people dead and forced more than two million to flee their homes.
The bitter conflict has also spilled across Nigeria’s borders, with Niger suffering its first attacks by the group in Bosso, on the shores of the lake, in 2015.
Read more Boko Haram here:
- Army neutralises Boko Haram leader in Borno
- Nigerian Army crushes 16 Boko Haram terrorists in fierce gun battle
- Borno gov, Tinubu meet to end Boko Haram terror
Young son of Boko Haram founder arrested in Chad
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a son of Boko Haram’s founder was arrested alongside five members by the police in Central African country, Chad.
Reports making the rounds on Monday, August 18, revealed that Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, better known as Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, was allegedly leading a jihadist cell.
As of the time of filing this report, Chadian security forces have yet to confirm 'Yusuf's detention.
Source: Legit.ng
