A young son of Boko Haram’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf, has been arrested in Chad for allegedly leading a jihadist cell. Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, 18, was detained alongside five other suspected members of the movement. According to a Nigerian intelligence source in the Lake Chad region, the team was headed by Muslim, the youngest son of the late Boko Haram founder.
The cell, reportedly belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group, a rival offshoot of Boko Haram, was arrested by Chadian security forces. A former lieutenant of Yusuf’s father, who has denounced Boko Haram, confirmed the arrest, saying, “He and the team were arrested by Chadian security. They are six in number.” Chadian police confirmed the arrest of six Boko Haram members but couldn’t verify if one of them was the son of the late extremist cleric.
Boko Haram has been wreaking havoc in the Lake Chad region for over 15 years, with brazen attacks on villages and military bases. Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram, was killed in 2009 during a military crackdown that left over 800 people dead. His son, Muslim, who goes by the alias Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, is the younger brother of ISWAP leader Habib Yusuf, alias Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi.
Chadian police spokesman Paul Manga confirmed the arrest, stating that the men were undocumented and members of Boko Haram. He added that the arrests were made a few months ago. Nigeria’s counter-terrorism centre and national intelligence service have yet to officially respond to the development.
The arrest of Boko Haram’s founder’s son is a significant blow to the terrorist organization. It remains to be seen how this development will impact the group’s operations in the region. As investigations continue, authorities in Chad and Nigeria are likely to provide more information on the arrest and its implications.
