1. Former Leaders Abubaker Lawan Muhammed Yusef
Led a group of Muslim Scholars who met in 1995 under the name Ahlulsunna wai’jama’ah hijra
Left in 2002 to study at the University of Medina in Saudi Arabia
Was not radical
Muhammed Yusef
Lawan relinquished leadership of the group to Yusef in 2002 when he departed for University
Yusef was selected by a Shura (a council of scholars)
Yusef had radical views and his rejection of western society is where the name Boko Haram came from
Killed in 2009 in a fight with Nigerian Security forces along with 800 of his followers and was seen as the groups first martyr

2. Current Key Figures Abubaker Shekau – “The Leader” Muhammed Nur
July 2010 announced himself as leader and pledged loyalty to ISIS
Has a rivalry with Nur
ISIS tried to replace in March 2016 – this led to a split with ISIS
Muhammed Nur
It is believed that if Shekau were to die, Nur would take over ideologically
Was the “Interim” Leader after Shekau was shot and was recovering
Khalid al-Barnawi
Holds leadership in Boko Haram and Ansaru
If Shekau were to die he would take over operationally

3. Command Structure Leader Has control over everything
Although is seen mostly as a spiritual leader
2 Deputies
2nd and 3rd in command
3 Shura Members
Purpose is to advise
“Elders”
12 Regional Commanders
Have a large amount of autonomy in pursuing the groups objectives
State and Local Cell Leaders
Operational Cells
Carry out the the groups objectives
Source:

4. Conclusions It is a mix of both Hierarchy and Network based
For example, Shekau states the objectives he wants to be completed, from there the regional commanders take charge and task out their cells
Split with ISIS in 2016 has led to a more decentralized and factionalized leadership structure
The International Crisis Group estimates that there are three to six factions of Boko Haram that collaborate with each other and sometimes fight each other
Leadership is very unstable at the top
Some believe Nur is more fit to be the leader due to al-Qa’ida connections
Opposes Shekau’s leadership style
Shekau leaked information to Nigerian Security forces about Abu Muhammed and his Shura after a dispute about funding which led to their deaths in 2012

5. Works cited
Boko Haram Leadership Chart. abusidiqu.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Boko.jpg .
“Boko Haram at a Glance.” Amnesty International, 29 Jan. 2015,
Chatt, Allen. Boko Haram and The Nigerian Insurgency. Edited by Brendan McNamara and Graham Plaster, The Intelligence Community, LLC., 2014.
Department, Australian Attorney-General’s. “Boko Haram.” Terrorist Organizations, Attorney-General's Department, 26 June 2014,
“Leadership Analysis of Boko Haram and Ansaru in Nigeria.” Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, 15 Nov. 2017, ctc.usma.edu/leadership-analysis- of-boko-haram-and-ansaru-in-nigeria/.
Onuoha, Freedom C. “Boko Haram: Nigeria's Extremist Islamic Sect.” Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/ /ALJAZEERA_Boko_Haram.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires= &Signature=k1bY78azLOS1l5YMCRUtT0p%2B7%2FY%3D&response-content- disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DBoko_Haram_Nigerias_Extremist_Islamic_Se.pdf.