After Al-Barnawi, Shekau’s Death, Military Intensifies War Against Insurgency

By James Orji

Vicious leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, Abu Musab al-Barnawi, is dead, according to Lucky Irabor, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, CDS.

His demise comes few months after the leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau was killed in gun battle with ISWAP rivals.

“I can authoritatively confirm to you that al-Barnawi is dead. As simple as that. He is dead and remains dead,” Irabor told journalist in Abuja on Thursday.

The death of al-Barnawi, the son of Boko Haram founder, Yusuf Mohammed marked the brutal rivalry between the two Islamic groups, even though ISWAP has yet to confirm the death of their leader.

The development also comes amidst the surrender of more than 13,000 boko Haram members, within two weeks, to the armed forces fighting insurgency in the North east part of Nigeria. The returning Islamists consist of former Boko Haram commanders, their wives and children, Director of Defence Media Operations, Benard Onyeuko, said on Wednesday.

Some of the repentant terrorists said they were forced to surrender following the death of Shekau which somehow left his camp scattered, bereft of any leadership. Others said they were forced to join the group, that the killing of Shekau presented them the opportunity to escape.

The Military spokesman said “cumulatively, within the period a total of 29 terrorists were neutralised and 13 terrorists, including their informants/collaborators and logistics suppliers, were arrested in the course of the operations,” he said.

“Additionally, a total of 38 assorted weapons and 968 rounds of assorted ammunition as well as 48 rustled livestock among several other items were recovered. So far, a total of 13,243 terrorists and their families comprising 3,243 adult males, 3,868 adult females and 6,234 children, have surrendered to our troops at different locations in the North-East.”

He added that no fewer than 29 terrorists were killed while 13 terrorists and their collaborators were arrested during the period.

Boko Haram has killed thousands and displaced more than two million people since it took up arms against the federal government in 2009, following the killing of its leader by the Nigerian Police.

Meanwhile, the CDS said on Thursday that there is no time line yet to ending the war against insurgency. He said there is still more to be done to totally vanquished the terrorists.