Abubakar Shekau

Abubakar Mohammed Shekau was a Nigerian militant who was the leader of Boko Haram, an extremist organization based in northeastern Nigeria, from 2009 until his suicide in 2021 during the Battle of Sambisa Forest. He previously served as deputy leader to the group's founder, Mohammed Yusuf, until Yusuf's execution by Nigerian police in 2009.