Boko Haram Founder’s Son Arrested

The son of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, has been apprehended in Chad. He was reportedly leading a jihadist cell there.

AFP security sources have confirmed that Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, believed to be 18 years old, was arrested alongside five other suspected insurgents during a raid by Chadian security forces.

Although Chadian police confirmed the arrest of six Boko Haram members, they did not immediately verify if one of them was the son of the late extremist cleric.

However, a Nigerian intelligence source in the Lake Chad region reportedly told AFP: “The team was headed by Muslim, the youngest son of the late Boko Haram founder.”

Photos obtained by the media platform after the said arrest showed a young, slender man in a blue tracksuit, bearing a striking resemblance to Yusuf, standing next to older men.

The intelligence source noted that the arrested cell reportedly belonged to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a breakaway faction that split from Boko Haram following ideological differences.

Muslim Yusuf, who also goes by the alias Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, is said to be the younger brother of ISWAP leader, Habib Yusuf, alias Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi.

Meanwhile, a former Boko Haram lieutenant, now denounced from the group, also confirmed the development: “He and the team were arrested by Chadian security. They are six in number.”

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Yusuf was an infant in 2009 when his father, Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf, was killed during a military crackdown in Maiduguri that left over 800 people dead.

Since then, the insurgency has escalated, sowing terror across the Lake Chad Basin for over 15 years, with increasing attacks on villages, highways, and military bases.

Confirming the arrests, Chadian police spokesman Paul Manga told journalists from N’djamena: “They are undocumented. They are members of Boko Haram. They were arrested a few months ago.”

Nigeria’s counter-terrorism centre and national intelligence service are yet to officially respond to the development.