The emergence of Musab Al-Barnawi, a Boko Haram factional leader, was a boost to the Nigerian Army's counter insurgency efforts, an official has said. According to Mr. Adeosun, the conflict between Abubakar Shekau and Mr. Al-Barnawi has boosted the military's operations in the north-east due to the weak link between the rival groups. Mr. Al-Barnawi is believed to be the son of Muhammed Yusuf, the late Boko Haram founder. "He has been challenging the military", Mr. Adeosun admitted, adding that the military is ahead of the situation and would nip the menace in the bud. The Nigerian military has in the past two years recovered several territories initially controlled by the Boko Haram in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 20, 2017 16:30 UTC