Al-Barnawi

The Islamic State has sacked a factional leader of Boko Haram, Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi as the leader of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Ahmad Salkida, a journalist known to have access to the leadership of a faction of the Islamist group, tweeted on Monday that the new leader of the group is Abu Abdullah Ibn Umar Albarnawi.

“The Islamic State has sacked Abu Mus’ab Albarnawi as the leader of its West African affiliate (ISWAP). The new Wali, according to an 18:13 audio recording is Abu Abdullah Ibn Umar Albarnawi. No reason was given for the sack of Abu Musab (Habib),” Salkida wrote on Twitter.

Musab, who is the eldest surviving son of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Boko Haram who was killed in 2009 was the spokesman of Boko Haram before the group pledged allegiance to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Although Boko Haram joined the Islamic State (IS) in 2015, it split with the group in 2016 following some leadership crises.