The Nigerian military reported on Sunday that the commander of the Boko Haram extremist group, Alhaji Modu, also known as Bem Bem, was killed in an airstrike last week. According to the report, 28 other militants were also killed in an airstrike on August 3 in Borno State’s northwest. Military sources confirmed the information and stated that the operation was planned in response to reliable intelligence inputs that the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) members had gathered in the region in considerable numbers in preparation for launching new attacks in various locations.
Alhaji Modu reportedly orchestrated the evacuation of Bama town in 2014, killing hundreds of innocent people before establishing a Boko Haram state there. He is also suspected of using caves in the Mandara highlands to plan Boko Haram assaults in Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon.
We learnt that Modu was an armed robber and a dangerous drug baron before rising to the position of Boko Haram commander.
According to the Nigerian government, the military has had tremendous success in its campaign against Islamist extremists, especially in the north-eastern region, where hundreds of militants have voluntarily surrendered.
Background
- Between 2011 and 2022, Boko Haram has been responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.
- Nigeria is the country most affected by the terrorist group’s attacks.
- States in the North-East have the highest number of deaths. Borno State is by far the most threatened state, in that, Boko Haram has caused over 35 thousand deaths in this area.
- Boko Haram has killed more people than the ISIS.