A month after the death Boko Hara leader Abu Shekau, ISWAP commander Al Marnawi also died, leaving both rival groups in leadership crisis—in addition to he territorial hostilities.
It’s now worse for the groups.
Boko Haram leader of the Abubakar Shekau faction, Amir Bakoura Buduma, has appointed his own deputy.
Mallam Tahiru Damboa is now the ‘Jaysh’, second in command after Buduma.
About the same time, the leadership of the Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, has appointed Huozaifah Ibn Sadiq as Ameerul Fiya at Timbuktu Faruuq triangle to replace one Abba Yusuf alias Abuo Zarah. Houzaifah was formally Fitya (Commander) controlling Marte Kirenoa axis in the North East.
Accoding to PRNigeria, the group also appointed Abou Aseyia as Ameerul Fiya in charge of Sambisa forest following the killing of Abou Abdulrahman who was transferred from Timbuktu Faruuq triangle. Abou Aseyia is one of the oldest Commanders of ISWAP.
ISWAP Deputy Defence Minister, Mallam Bakhou Gorgore, is now doubling as Ameerul Jaysh following the death of Sayinna Mallam Baba at Toumboun Odoji.
While Boko Haram’s Amir Buduma, who is a Chadian, will operate Lelewa, a border area between Nigeria and the Niger Republic, some fighters of the terrorist group have since moved, and now dominate a forest close to Rigachikun, Kaduna State, in North-West, Nigeria.
The Boko Haram faction has been having a running battle with ISWAP in the North-East and Lake Chad region.
Apart from the massive surrendering of their members to Nigerian Troops, several other Boko Haram terrorists, under Mallam Hussain Izharouddeen, are also surrendering to Cameroonian military at Moroa province.
Meanwhile, some of the Boko Haram insurgents have joined various bandits’ groups in North-West and North-Central in their criminal activities, after being dislodged from the North-East and Lake Chad axis.
A source told PRNigeria that some of the Boko Haram members now rustle cattle and kidnap people to their den at a forest close to Rigachikun in Kaduna State.