Boko Haram Leader Shekau Resurfaces, Rejects Replacement

The recent appointment of Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram by Islamic State (ISIS) militants portends grave danger for Nigeria, a security expert has warned.

According to the BBC, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who was previously spokesman for the Nigerian-based Islamists and took over as head of the group in 2009, is featured in the latest issue of the ISIS newspaper al-Nabaa.

IS did not say what happened to Shekau who has been out of the picture since 2015.

Barnawi is the nickname of the terror group’s leader who comes from Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, the birthplace of the Boko Haram insurgency.

“As people may know or may not know, Boko Haram is a radical, violent, terrible, extremist organization in Nigeria”, President Barack Obama said in 2015.

Barnawi said the fighters will respond by “booby-trapping and blowing up every church that we are able to reach, and killing all of those (Christians) who we find from the citizens of the cross”.

Fulan Nasrullah, a top Boko Haram analyst, told Anadolu Agency: “Shekau has removed his group away from ISWAP [Islamic State’s West Africa Province]”.

“This is our stand and we remain in our capacity as Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad (People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad)”, he said using the official name for Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to ISIL previous year.

“No, I won’t. We can not subject ourselves to people who are in ignorance of all holy books and teachings”, Shekau said in the speech, delivered in Arabic and Hausa and posted on social media.

Shekau was last heard saying he was alive and had not been replaced in an audio message in August a year ago, the BBC reported.

But for many Nigerians, Boko Haram’s leadership battle is not hugely worrying.

“Boko Haram’s wanton violence has always been a concern for Isil”, he said.

Ekhomu stated that under the leadership of Shekau, Boko Haram caused over 30,000 deaths in Nigeria.

He said he had sent eight different letters to IS leaders but they did not act on them, only to hear the news that he had been replaced.