ISWAP expels loyalists of late Boko Haram leader, Shekau

The Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) has expelled former commanders of the Boko Haram terrorists sect who were loyalists of the late leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, over suspicion of sabotage.

According to a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, Zagozola Makama, who confirmed the development, the ISWAP leadership took the action following “incessant and the aggressive deployment of intelligence, kinetic and non-kinetic onslaught by the Nigerian Armed Forces which have led to the death of hundreds of the terrorists and obliteration of their enclaves within the past few months.”

“ISWAP had continued to speculate that the unrelenting successful offensive attacks by the Nigerian troops was not ordinary and blaming it among themselves.

“They justified their stand following the waves of the intra-group rivalry clashes that culminated in the Boko Haram’s Bakoura Doro (Abou Oumaymah) led–JAS faction leading deadly attacks against the the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) positions.

“While addressing the fighters and their families in the Timbuktu Triangle, the Leader of the ISWAP, Abbah Shuwa, also known as Ba’a Shuwa, accused the Boko Haram defectors of double face.

“He said ‘you may claim to be with soldiers of the Khalifah but your heart and souls is with the Murtad and Khawarij. You are still loyal to the Abubakar Shekau’s Boko Haram group. You are still supporting Abou Oumaymah, and Ali Ngulde, to wage war against us.

READ ALSO:B’Haram terrorists allegedly kill 33 wives of ISWAP members in reprisal attack

“Shuwa also accused the Boko Haram fighters of collaborating with the repented Boko Haram to expose their pre-planned attacks which in many case resulted to failures.

“He therefore ordered them to surrender their weapons and leave immediately or face the wrath of the group,” Makama wrote on his platform.

The Boko Haram commanders had earlier defected to the ISWAP camp and pledged allegiance following the death of Shekau who blew up himself in 2021 during a confrontation with the ISWAP fighters.

Shortly after his death, some of his top commanders and thousands of the Boko Haram foot soldiers defected to ISWAP and pledged their allegiance to its leader, Aba Ibrahim Al-Hashimiyil AlKhuraishi, whom they unanimously ordained as ‘Khalifan Muslimai’, translated as “The Leader of all Muslims”.

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