Less than two weeks after the killing of an impostor, Bashir
Mohammed, who claimed to be Abubakar Shekau, a new video released by
Boko Haram yesterday, claimed their leader was not shot dead by the
Nigerian military.Many Nigerians, especially residents of the
North-East, particularly, felt relieved following the announcement last
week that the no nonsense leader of the terrorist group had been killed
by soldiers. In fact, there was jubilation in Maiduguri, Borno State,
the hotbed of the Islamist sect over his death.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had last week in a statement issued by
the Director, Defence Information, Major-Gen. Chris Olukolade in Abuja
that troops in four confrontations with Boko Haram fighters killed one
of the insurgent commanders believed to have been posing as Abubakar
Shekau. It posted the photograph of the alleged impostor which it
identified as Bashir Mohammed, same photograph which had been in
circulation for a week earlier in Maiduguri, before the announcement.
The photograph of the impostor made the cover pages of major newspapers.
But the supposed Shekau in a 16 minutes video, released yesterday by Boko Haram claimed their leader is not dead as claimed by the military. “This is Abubakar Shekau. I’m alive and not dead as your military has claimed. Shekau cannot die like that except Allah takes my soul,” the man in the video boasted in his usual unstable posture.
He spoke in Hausa and Arabic, saying Boko Haram Islamic caliphate foisted on captured areas in Borno and Adamawa states have been in smooth operation. The man who wore military camouflage with an assault rifle, is still a look alike of the real Shekau and his supposed impostor.
However, many residents of Maiduguri expressed doubt over the new video. A senior military officer involved in the counter-insurgency operation in Borno, who is not authorised to speak for the military, insisted the video was part of Boko Haram’s “propaganda to keep the violence in the northeast going.” However, some also said they doubted the initial claims of the military about Shekau’s death.
Boko Haram insurgency became prominent shortly after the killing of their spiritual leader, Abubakar Mohammed in Borno in 2009. Since then, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states had witnessed killings of thousands of residents with the loss of properties estimated at billions of naira.
In April this year, Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. They are yet to be released in spite of global outcry.
…He’s dead, military insists
But the supposed Shekau in a 16 minutes video, released yesterday by Boko Haram claimed their leader is not dead as claimed by the military. “This is Abubakar Shekau. I’m alive and not dead as your military has claimed. Shekau cannot die like that except Allah takes my soul,” the man in the video boasted in his usual unstable posture.
He spoke in Hausa and Arabic, saying Boko Haram Islamic caliphate foisted on captured areas in Borno and Adamawa states have been in smooth operation. The man who wore military camouflage with an assault rifle, is still a look alike of the real Shekau and his supposed impostor.
However, many residents of Maiduguri expressed doubt over the new video. A senior military officer involved in the counter-insurgency operation in Borno, who is not authorised to speak for the military, insisted the video was part of Boko Haram’s “propaganda to keep the violence in the northeast going.” However, some also said they doubted the initial claims of the military about Shekau’s death.
Boko Haram insurgency became prominent shortly after the killing of their spiritual leader, Abubakar Mohammed in Borno in 2009. Since then, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states had witnessed killings of thousands of residents with the loss of properties estimated at billions of naira.
In April this year, Boko Haram kidnapped over 200 female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State. They are yet to be released in spite of global outcry.
…He’s dead, military insists
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday insisted that Boko Haram
leader, Abubakar Shekau, is dead.Reacting to the new video released by
the sect, where a man posing as Shekau claimed that he was alive, the
military said the group’s leader was dead. It, however, said although
there was no proof that the video was current, it would still study the
claims.
A statement by the DHQ stated: “From immediate observation and what
some online news outlets claimed to have seen, the video did not
indicate when it was shot, neither did it show any proof of life or
currency such as screen time or date.
“The video also did not make any reference to anything that has happened since the impostor’s reported death.”
The military, however, said that while waiting to see and review the video, “before any further statement, our message to them is that justice will be served to whoever bears that name or designation and whoever engages in the act.”
“The video also did not make any reference to anything that has happened since the impostor’s reported death.”
The military, however, said that while waiting to see and review the video, “before any further statement, our message to them is that justice will be served to whoever bears that name or designation and whoever engages in the act.”
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Shekau ‘resurrects’ in new video |
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