The Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād faction of the Boko Haram insurgence has appointed Ameer Hassan as its new “governor of the Mandara Hills” in Borno State, according to Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency expert who disclosed this in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
Hassan, the new governor, replaced Ummate Ma or Mohammad after he was eliminated alongside some of his fighters in a rival clash with ISWAP in June 2022.
The appointment was announced by the Boko Haram Ameerul Fiyah Mallam Ali Ngulde, the overall leader of the terror group leading the Mandara Hills in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, Makama said.
Ngulde is one of the notorious terror leaders of Boko Haram and has been on the most wanted list of the Nigerian military for the past six years.
According to Makama: “In April 13, 2022, Ngulde was rumoured to have been killed when troops of the Special Forces of Operation Hadin Kai dismantled his stronghold killing some of his fighters and forcing many other Jihadists to surrender to the Nigerian troops.
“Findings from some of the surrendered insurgents revealed that Ndulde was still alive noting that during the deadly encounter with troops, he escaped through the axis of Cinana Gwoshe, Barawa and Agaba before crossing over to Cameroon axis where he is currently hiding.
“The new appointment and leadership of Amir Hassan was expected to trigger a wave of planned and directed attacks against soft civilian and military positions, especially in the route between Banki to Gwoza town,” Makama said.