Mahmud Mamman Nur Albarnawy, the eldest son of the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP) founder Mamman Nur, has surrendered to the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Maiduguri.
Mahmud, 22, turned himself in to the NSCDC on Sunday and has been transferred to the Bulunkutu rehabilitation facility for further documentation and custody.
Zagazola Makama, a counterterrorism and insurgency expert in the Lake Chad Basin, shared the news on his X handle on Tuesday. According to Makama, Mahmud confessed to participating in attacks in Bama, Banki, Gwoza, and several other locations as a middle-rank fighter under the Boko Haram group.
Intelligence sources confirmed Mahmud’s identity as the senior son of the late ISWAP founder after profiling him at the NSCDC Command Headquarters in Maiduguri. The command facilitated his surrender through his uncle in Gamborun Ngala after learning that Mahmud wanted to formally surrender to the Nigerian government.
Makama disclosed that a reliable agent was sent to escort Mahmud to Maiduguri. Mahmud was then debriefed and profiled by an intelligence officer, where he revealed that he had sneaked out of the Ali Ngulde camp in Mandara Mountain, Gwoza LGA, into Maiduguri. He stayed in the city for about a month before moving to Gamboru Ngala without raising any alarms.
During his time in Gamboru Ngala, some loyalists of his late father attempted to persuade him to return to the Lake Chad area to pledge allegiance to ISWAP. However, Mahmud refused, citing the betrayal and execution of his father as reasons for his decision.
