Security sources in the Lake Chad region say the youngest son of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, has been arrested in Chad for allegedly leading a jihadist cell.
Identified as Muslim Mohammed Yusuf, the 18-year-old was taken into custody alongside five suspected militants, AFP reports.
While Chadian police confirmed the arrest of six Boko Haram members, they did not immediately confirm his identity.
According to an intelligence source, Yusuf’s cell was linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a faction that split from Boko Haram following ideological differences.
Photographs seen by AFP showed a slender young man in a blue tracksuit, bearing a strong resemblance to the late sect leader, standing among older detainees.
Yusuf, also known as Abdrahman Mahamat Abdoulaye, is the younger brother of ISWAP commander Habib Yusuf, popularly called Abu Mus’ab Al-Barnawi.
He was an infant in 2009 when his father was killed during a military crackdown in Nigeria that claimed about 800 lives.
A former Boko Haram member familiar with the group’s structure also confirmed the arrest, saying Yusuf and his team of six were captured by Chadian security forces.
Police spokesman, Paul Manga, speaking from N’Djamena, said those arrested were “bandits” operating in the city and identified them as undocumented members of Boko Haram.
He noted the arrest took place “a few months ago.”
Nigeria’s counter-terrorism centre and intelligence service have yet to comment on the development.