The Osama bin Laden of Northern Nigeria, Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, has apparently been deposed by members of his own terrorist group, Boko Haram, as prelude to peace negotiations with the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The ouster is believed to have happened as the group -- whose full name is Jama'atu Ahlul Sunnah Lih Da'awa Wal Jihad -- entered into a back-channel dialogue with the government in the search for an elusive peace to a conflict that has seen multiple suicide bombings, attacks on government buildings and churches, and has claimed thousands of lives since 2011.

Reports from the group that has been tasked to liaise with emissaries from the government indicate that the man who was leading the talks, Abu Zamira Mohammed, has been appointed the new leader by the organization's Shura Council. This has raised hopes for the moderation of a group that has close ties to al Qaeda and has fought alongside al Qaeda in the Maghreb.