Boko Haram’s New Leader ’Son of Executed Founder’

Local Editor

Abo Musab al-Barnawi is about 25 years old and the second son of Mohammed Yusuf, who founded the group in 2002, the source told CNN. Mohammed Yusuf was captured and executed after a clash with Nigerian security forces in 2009.

The insider said there was a split in the ranks of the Boko Haram terror group three months ago, which led to Barnawi, known as Habib Yusuf within the group, to leave the Sambisa forest where Boko Haram are believed to be hiding out.

He re-emerged this week after he was introduced as the new leader of the terrorist sect in an interview in the Daesh [the Arabic acronym for the terrorist "ISIS" group] magazine al-Naba.

Boko Haram has long had links with Daesh, pledging allegiance to the group in March.

Even though Barnawi is now supposedly the leader of Boko Haram, the source told CNN that the group's long-time leader Abubakar Shekau still has the larger number of followers in the Sambisa forest and crucially has control of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team