Bashir Bulabuduwaye, a senior member of Boko Haram, has reportedly surrendered to troops of the Nigerian army.
Bulabuduwaye was said to have surrendered alongside his family members on Monday in Banki, Bama LGA of Borno state.
According to Zagazola Makama, a publication focused on the Lake Chad region, Bulabuduwaye was Boko Haram’s chief executioner who “killed at least 1,000 people who were captured and sentenced to death” by the group.
A source told the publication that Bulabuduwaye was “known to be an official who carried out the sentence of death on condemned persons, captured military men and civilians when Abubakar Shekau was the leader of the group.”
Bulabuduwaye reportedly formed a camp in Kote village of Banki, where he was hiding with other fighters.
He was said to have surrendered due to the sustained offensives launched by troops of operation Hadin Kai.
“It was difficult for him to access food and other logistics, coupled with the flooding which already ravaged most of their settlements. He also feared battlefield elimination by ISWAP,“ a source was quoted.
Earlier in an interview (with TheCable), Christopher Musa, commander of operation Hadin Kai, had said Boko Haram leaders are surrendering because they want to live a normal life.