Crime
Defence chief confirms death of ISWAP Leader, al-Barnawi
The leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) jihadist group, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is dead, Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor, said on Thursday.
ISWAP has not given any confirmation of al-Barnawi’s death and the army has claimed before to have killed jihadist commanders only for them to reappear.
“I can authoritatively confirm to you that al-Barnawi is dead. As simple as that. He is dead and remains dead,” CDS Irabor told reporters.
He did not give details on how or when al-Barnawi had died.
Al-Barnawi is the son of the founder of Nigeria’s Boko Haram militant group which has been fighting a grinding Islamist insurgency in the northeast since 2009.
The ISWAP commander rose to prominence after splitting with Boko Haram in 2016 over differences with its commander Abubakar Shekau, who died earlier this year during infighting between the two factions.
Since Shekau’s death, security sources say, al-Barnawi had consolidated ISWAP’s control in the northeast and the Lake Chad region but pockets of Boko Haram loyalists have been fighting back.
More than 40,000 people have died in the Boko Haram conflict and around two million more people have been displaced from their homes by the violence.
-
Latest7 days agoIsrael marks 3 years since October 7 Hamas attack amid Gaza strikes, election debate
-
Energy7 days agoFuel Battle: Dangote, marketers and government clash over petrol imports
-
Energy1 week agoPetrol, diesel prices rise 86% in 2026 as costs hit fresh highs
-
Latest2 days agoFull List: Meet the 2026 Nobel Prize winners across six categories
-
Football1 week agoNigeria’s World Cup exit under spotlight as FIFA’s DR Congo files emerge
-
Latest1 week agoUS Court set to rule on release of FBI, DEA records on Tinubu
-
Business1 week agoNigerian investors at a crossroads as fixed-income yields slide
-
Latest1 week agoOyo APC crisis deepens as Oluyole reconciliation meeting ends in brawl