Chadian security forces have arrested Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, the youngest son of Boko Haram’s founder Mohammed Yusuf, in a significant blow to the jihadist insurgency plaguing the Lake Chad region.
The 18-year-old, allegedly leading a six-man jihadist cell, was detained alongside five other suspected insurgents in N’Djamena, according to a Nigerian intelligence source and a former Boko Haram lieutenant.
The arrest, which occurred several months ago but was only recently disclosed, targeted a cell reportedly affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival faction that split from Boko Haram over ideological differences.
Muslim Yusuf, who also uses the alias Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, is the younger brother of ISWAP leader Habib Yusuf, known as Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi.
Photos obtained by AFP show a young, slender man in a blue tracksuit, bearing a striking resemblance to the late Boko Haram founder, standing alongside older suspects.
Chadian police confirmed the arrest of six undocumented individuals identified as Boko Haram members but could not verify if one was Yusuf’s son.
“They were bandits operating in the city,” police spokesman Paul Manga told AFP, noting the arrests took place months earlier.
Mohammed Yusuf, the radical preacher who founded Boko Haram in 2002, was killed in 2009 during a Nigerian military crackdown that left over 800 dead.
His death marked a turning point for the group, which has since escalated its insurgency, spreading terror across Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
The group’s activities, including recent brazen attacks on villages and military bases, have displaced over 3.2 million people and left 10.6 million in need of urgent humanitarian aid in the Lake Chad Basin.
A Nigerian intelligence source in the region told AFP that the arrested cell was led by Muslim Yusuf, who was an infant at the time of his father’s death.
A former Boko Haram lieutenant, now distanced from the group, corroborated the arrest, stating, “He and his team were arrested by Chadian security.
They are six in number.”The arrest comes amid intensified regional efforts to combat Boko Haram and ISWAP, with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) reporting progress in degrading terrorist operations.
However, the insurgency remains a persistent threat, with recent attacks, including a January 2025 assault on Chad’s presidential palace, underscoring the group’s resilience.
Nigeria’s counter-terrorism center and national intelligence service is yet to comment officially.
As investigations continue, the arrest of Muslim Yusuf could provide critical intelligence on ISWAP’s operations, potentially disrupting the group’s activities in the volatile Lake Chad region.
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