The Nigerien army has announced the killing of a key Boko Haram leader, Bakura, during a targeted military operation in the Lake Chad basin.
According to a statement on Thursday, Bakura, real name Ibrahim Mahamadu, aged about 40 was killed in airstrikes on August 15 in the Diffa region. The army described him as a “feared leader” who commanded a splinter faction loyal to late Boko Haram founder Abubakar Shekau.
Bakura had operated from islands on the Niger side of Lake Chad since Shekau’s death in 2021. He had been part of Boko Haram for over 13 years.
The insurgency, which began in Nigeria in 2009, has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced millions across Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.
