ISWAP leader, Ba’a Shuwa, scores of fighters reportedly killed by Nigerian military airstrikes

The Nigerian military has reportedly eliminated the Nigerian leader of the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP), Ba’a Shuwa.

According to a report posted by a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, on X (formerly Twitter), on Friday, the airstrikes also eliminated scores of Shuwa's fighters in the North East of Borno during a major offensive.

According to Zagazola, Ba'a Shuwa was the ISWAP leader of the Nigerian Wylayat, Lake Chad, Kwalfarji, Timbuktu Farouq and Sambisa Mantika of the ISIS-affiliated ISWAP.

Citing intelligence sources, Zagazola said the damaging airstrikes were carried out on January 2, 2023 at Kwatan Dilla, in the Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State.

Zagazola said that Shuwa was appointed in 2021 after Abubakar Shekau killed himself and that he commanded terrorists in Chiralia, Markas Kauwa, Abirma, Buk, Abulam, Dusula, Abbagajiri, Gorgore and many other camps within the Timbuktu and Alagarno axes in the South of Borno.

He identified some of his top commanding officers as Khaid Hanzala, Ba'a Idirisa, Rawana, Abou Ibrahim, Mallam Abubakar, Abou Aisha and Abou Khalid who was responsible for the recent attack on the electricity towers along Maiduguri-Damaturu highway.

According to him, Ba'a Shuwa and his group of terrorists were mostly responsible for attacks, ambushes and IED/mine towards Damboa roads, Damaturu-Maiduguri, Askira, Buratai, Buni Yadi, Buni Gari, Gaidam and other parts of Borno and Yobe states.