A senior aide to the leader of jihadist group Boko Haram has denied claims by the Nigerien army that Bakura, also known as Ibrahim Mahamadu, was killed during a targeted airstrike in the Lake Chad basin.
The Nigerien military announced late Thursday that Bakura had been eliminated in a “surgical operation” on an island in the Diffa region, near Lake Chad. However, an audio recording attributed to one of Bakura’s close lieutenants and shared with journalists rejected the statement, describing it as “completely false” and “propaganda.” Speaking in Hausa, the aide insisted that Bakura was alive, saying: “I am with him now, we are together.”
Independent experts have also cautioned against accepting the military’s claim at face value. Vincent Foucher, a researcher at France’s CNRS institute who specializes in Boko Haram, noted that previous announcements of jihadist leaders’ deaths were later proven wrong. “They’ve announced the deaths of several leaders many times, only for them to reappear. At the moment, we only have an official claim with no verifiable proof,” he explained. Another West Africa jihadist expert, who preferred anonymity, confirmed that his sources also indicated Bakura was still alive.
Since seizing power in 2023, Niger’s ruling military junta has struggled to contain extremist violence across the country. In the east, Boko Haram continues to operate, while in the west, groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State maintain an active presence along the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Bakura rose to prominence after the death of former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021. Unlike the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Bakura’s faction rejected alignment with IS ideology, instead maintaining loyalty to Shekau’s style of operations. Bakura and his fighters later relocated to islands on the Niger side of Lake Chad, which has become a stronghold for the group.
The Nigerien military has accused Bakura of masterminding several deadly attacks, including the kidnapping of more than 300 students in Kuriga, Nigeria, in March 2024. He has also been linked to suicide bombings targeting mosques, marketplaces, and public gatherings, as well as coordinated assaults on Nigerien, Nigerian, and Cameroonian security forces.
Born in Nigeria and believed to be around 40 years old, Bakura reportedly joined Boko Haram over 13 years ago. Following Shekau’s violent death during clashes with ISWAP in May 2021, he assumed control of his splinter faction, continuing the insurgency that has plagued the Lake Chad region for over a decade.
The Boko Haram conflict, which erupted in Nigeria in 2009, has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million across Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Despite repeated claims of progress by regional armies, the group remains a destabilizing force in the region.
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A senior aide to the leader of jihadist group Boko Haram has denied claims by the Nigerien army that Bakura, also known as Ibrahim Mahamadu, was killed during a targeted airstrike in the Lake Chad basin.
The Nigerien military announced late Thursday that Bakura had been eliminated in a “surgical operation” on an island in the Diffa region, near Lake Chad. However, an audio recording attributed to one of Bakura’s close lieutenants and shared with journalists rejected the statement, describing it as “completely false” and “propaganda.” Speaking in Hausa, the aide insisted that Bakura was alive, saying: “I am with him now, we are together.”
Independent experts have also cautioned against accepting the military’s claim at face value. Vincent Foucher, a researcher at France’s CNRS institute who specializes in Boko Haram, noted that previous announcements of jihadist leaders’ deaths were later proven wrong. “They’ve announced the deaths of several leaders many times, only for them to reappear. At the moment, we only have an official claim with no verifiable proof,” he explained. Another West Africa jihadist expert, who preferred anonymity, confirmed that his sources also indicated Bakura was still alive.
Since seizing power in 2023, Niger’s ruling military junta has struggled to contain extremist violence across the country. In the east, Boko Haram continues to operate, while in the west, groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State maintain an active presence along the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Bakura rose to prominence after the death of former Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021. Unlike the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Bakura’s faction rejected alignment with IS ideology, instead maintaining loyalty to Shekau’s style of operations. Bakura and his fighters later relocated to islands on the Niger side of Lake Chad, which has become a stronghold for the group.
The Nigerien military has accused Bakura of masterminding several deadly attacks, including the kidnapping of more than 300 students in Kuriga, Nigeria, in March 2024. He has also been linked to suicide bombings targeting mosques, marketplaces, and public gatherings, as well as coordinated assaults on Nigerien, Nigerian, and Cameroonian security forces.
Born in Nigeria and believed to be around 40 years old, Bakura reportedly joined Boko Haram over 13 years ago. Following Shekau’s violent death during clashes with ISWAP in May 2021, he assumed control of his splinter faction, continuing the insurgency that has plagued the Lake Chad region for over a decade.
The Boko Haram conflict, which erupted in Nigeria in 2009, has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million across Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Despite repeated claims of progress by regional armies, the group remains a destabilizing force in the region.
