The ISIS West Africa organization announced on Sunday the death of the leader of the Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau. This follows reports in May that he attempted suicide to avoid capture by ISIS-affiliated militants in northern Nigeria. A person claiming to be Abubakar al-Barnawi, leader of the ISIS West Africa Province, stated in an audio recording that Shekau was killed on May 18 after detonating an explosive device while being pursued by armed militants following a battle, according to Reuters.
Two individuals familiar with al-Barnawi confirmed to Reuters that the voice on the recording belongs to the leader of what is known as the ISIS West Africa Province. In May, reports indicated that Shekau suffered severe injuries after trying to take his own life to avoid capture by ISIS militants following clashes between Boko Haram and ISIS in Borno State, northern Nigeria.
Shekau gained global notoriety after his group kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls in 2014, leading to a widespread campaign to rescue them. Rumors about the death of Boko Haram's leader have circulated several times since he took over the insurgency against Nigeria's central government in 2009. The insurgency has claimed the lives of 40,000 people and displaced over two million in northern Nigeria, with instability spilling over into Chad, Cameroon, and Niger.
Boko Haram has faced numerous setbacks, while ISIS in West Africa has increased its influence and intensified attacks against Nigerian military targets. Shekau assumed leadership of Boko Haram, formerly known as the "Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad," after the death of its previous leader, Mohammed Yusuf, at the hands of the police in 2009.
