Chad Security Forces Capture Boko Haram Founder’s Son, 5 ISWAP Militants in Lake Chad Operation”
Story Written By Uzuh Rita Grace August 10,2025
Chadian security forces have arrested Abdrahman Yusuf, the 18-year-old son of late Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf, during a major counter-terrorism operation in the Lake Chad region.
Abdrahman, described as the leader of a six-man terrorist cell, was captured along with five other militants linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a faction that split from Boko Haram.
Intelligence sources revealed that Abdrahman is the younger brother of Habib Yusuf, also known as Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi, the current leader of ISWAP. Photos obtained by security analysts showed the teenager in a blue tracksuit, bearing a striking resemblance to his late father, standing among older detainees.
Although Chadian authorities confirmed the arrest of six Boko Haram/ISWAP members, they withheld details of their identities. Sources said Abdrahman has recently risen through ISWAP’s ranks, taking up the role of a field commander within the volatile Lake Chad Basin.
“He and his team were arrested by Chadian security forces. They are six in total, and he was the head of the cell,” a security source confirmed.
Mohammed Yusuf, Boko Haram’s founder, was captured and killed in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on July 30, 2009. His son, reportedly born in Nigeria before the insurgency escalated, is believed to have been indoctrinated into extremist ideology from an early age.
The arrest of Abdrahman Yusuf is being described as a major breakthrough in the regional fight against terrorism, as Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon intensify efforts to dismantle Boko Haram and ISWAP cells across the Lake Chad Basin.
