Fulan Nasrullah
Firstly I was interviewed by Reuters and although the final result of the interview was slightly different in colouring from the interview itself (an occurrence I blame on editorial control), it was a pretty good article that came out of it. You can catch it here.
Nigerian security analyst Fulan Nasrullah concurred, saying he understood Daoud to be around 38 years old and the son of an Arab man and Chadian mother renowned for his Islamic scholarship and loyalty to tenets laid down by sect founder Mohammed Yusuf.
Yusuf’s largely peaceful movement advocating sharia law and Islamic schooling — Boko Haram means “Western education is forbidden” in the local Hausa language — turned violent in 2009, and quickly morphed into a full-on insurgency after Yusuf’s death in police custody.
Since then, thousands have been killed and more than a million displaced by the militants who at the start of this year controlled an area the size of Belgium. Much of that territory has since been retaken by Chadian and Nigerian forces.
Nasrullah said Daud had a significant support base and could bring hundreds of fighters with him if he jumped ship — as well as vital information about Boko Haram’s workings and the whereabouts of its top commanders.
“He could expose the money generation and transfer methods the group uses, reveal critical intelligence about the group’s inner structure, and maybe even offer up information as to how to kill Shekau,” he said.
“If Daud is really seeking negotiations, the Nigerian government should hurry and take the offer as having him on side could well be a game-changer.” – Reuters
Secondly Reuters reports that a suicide bomber detonated his/her explosive vest at the entrance to Ramirgo Market in Ramirgo Village of Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. Sahara Reporters quoting the Civilan JTF in Ramirgo Village, puts the number of casualties at five, four CJTF militiamen and the suicide bomber. See here.
Two things can be drawn from this attack:
1. It is most likely the handiwork of Haraktul-Muhajiriin. Now that Khalid Al-Barnawi is said to be almost healed from his injuries, this group is in a much stable and better situation than it was earlier, and may put even more energy into its campaign which I outlined here. The most prominent pointer for me right now that they are responsible for yesterday’s suicide attack in Ramirgo is that Askira-Uba falls within their area of operations, historically they have been dominant here long with Ansarul-Muslimiin which has been nearly wiped out now.
Secondly, Shekau’s Islamic State of West Africa has never had any sort of solid footing here whether in its previous incarnation as Jamaa’atu Ahlis-Sunnah or in its present form.
2. The attack is still unclaimed. Unlike Shekau who is regarded generally in the insurgent community as a camera hungry buffoon, neither Khalid Al-Barnawi nor his comrades at arms in Harakatul-Muhajiriin have any use for cameras, journalists and their ilk. They dont claim attacks or release media and web statements, when a bomb attack goes unclaimed it usually is their handiwork except in extremely rare cases.