BOKO HARAM LEADERSHIP CONFLICT CRISIS BETWEEN ABUBAKAR SHEKAU, AL-BARNAWI AND MAMMAN NUR
Jibrin Ubale Yahaya
Department of Political Science
National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)
Email: jibrinubaleyahaya@gmail.com
ABSTRACT: The crisis of Boko Haram has led Nigerian security forces launched a military offensive targeting Boko Haram on May 2013, as a security project called ‘’safe havens places’’ after Former President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in some states which includes Borno, Yobe and Adamawa in the Northeastern Nigeria. Despite an initial reduction in Boko Haram attacks, the militant group reestablished a base in Borno State, along Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, and killed more civilians than in any period since its first attack under leadership of Abubakar Shekau in September 2010. Although Shekau is Boko Haram’s most visible leader, after the killing of Muhammed Yusuf by security personnel’s in Maiduguri. However, some group members of Boko Haram split and formed Ansaru group factions whose suggest that Shekau is not the only leader of Boko Haram. This Paper examines other militant leaders who contributed to the operational and ideological development of Boko Haram and Ansaru group, but specifically focuses on Abubakar Shekau, Khalid Al-Barnawi and Mamman Nur. The paper has a findings that Khalid Al-Barnawi and Mamman Nur are uniquely capable leaders whose expanded Boko Haram’s international connections to al-Qa`ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Al-Shabab, the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), Mokhtar Belmokhtar’s factions, Al-Qa`ida core and other militant groups in Africa. At the local level, Al-Barnawi and mid-level commanders from Ansaru are likely operating with Shekau and Boko Haram, but Nur’s ideological disagreements with Shekau and have instructed his followers from not collaborating with Boko Haram on nature of operational attacks to civilians rather than the security operatives and other government functionaries. The paper has recommended that for security to be maintain in Nigeria, there is need for Nigerian Government to uses the division and crisis of leadership between the Boko Haram leaders to end the insurgent attacks embarks by Boko Haram groups to civilians and established collaborative security operative network between the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic to end the Boko Haram menace.
Keywords: Insurgents, Boko Haram, Terrorism leadership, Power Crisis
