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Tag: shekau

  • Shekau, Boko Haram not responsible for crashed helicopter – NAF

    The Nigerian Air Force on Saturday debunked claims by Abubakar Shekau; leader of the terrorist sect, Boko Haram in a recent video he (Shekau) released that he (Shekau) and other members of the sect shot down the Mi-17 helicopter, which crashed during an operation in the North-East.

    The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya stated this in an interview with The Punch, describing Shekau’s statement as a “bare-faced lie.”

    It would be recalled that the Air Force’s Mi-17 crashed on January 8, 2018, while in the North-East during a counter-Boko Haram insurgency operation.

    Although no life was lost during the incident, the Air Force noted that the helicopter suffered a “significant damage.”

    The Air Force had said that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, directed the constitution of a board of inquiry to determine the cause of the incident.

    The board had yet to submit its report.

    Boko Haram insurgents, had on Monday, released a video, claiming that they were responsible for the crashed helicopter.

    Shekau had said, “We hold unto the Chibok schoolgirls; we still have the policewomen. Among the Chibok schoolgirls that insisted on following the ways of their parents’ religion, we allowed them to go back and join their people. The military have come to us, but it did not end well; that is why your helicopter went down; that is why your armoured tanks got destroyed.”

    But reacting to the claim by the insurgents, NAF Spokesperson, Adesanya, said, “The Boko Haram did not shoot down the NAF’s Mi-17 helicopter. If that were the case, the public would have been duly informed.

    “The NAF remains accountable to the citizenry. This is why we issued a statement immediately after the crash landing of the helicopter, which was on a routine mission in the North-East.

     

  • Boko Haram leader Shekau debunks Army’s fragile health claims, says ‘I am strong…’

    Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau has debunked claims by the Nigerian Army that he is ‘in a terrible state of health.’

    The army in a statement last week by its spokesperson, Sani Usman insisted that the notorious insurgent leader was truly alive but in a terrible state of health.

    “There is no doubt that the main Boko Haram terrorists group factional leader, Abubakar Shekau, is in a terrible state of health and not much a threat as he is now a spent horse, waiting for his waterloo,’ the Army spokesperson said last week.

    However, barely a week after releasing the statement, Shekau released a new video on Monday insisting that the Army’s claim about his health status were false and unfounded. where he debunks claims made by the Army.

    The video also showed more than a dozen girls who identified themselves as the abducted Chibok girls.

    Many of them had babies, an indication they had been sexually abused by the militants.

    A young woman who spoke on behalf of the girls said the captives were doing well and were unwilling to return to their families. The speaker wore full face veil and could not be identified.

    Mr. Shekau said the parents of the girls should consider himself and his men as their in-laws because their daughters were “happily married” to his fighters.

    The 36-minute video which the Boko Haram leader claimed was recorded on Sunday, January 14, also faulted the claims of the Nigerian military that he was “unhealthy” and “a spent horse”.

    Mr. Shekau said the 107 girls that had so far regained their freedom were released by his group because they refused to convert to Islam or get married.

    He said he also had in custody 10 policewomen that were abducted along Damboa-Maiduguri Road when his men ambushed a military convoy in 2017.

    Mr. Shekau, who spoke largely in Hausa, said the latest attempt by the Nigerian military to invade his enclave and rescue the policewomen was met with severe resistance that caused the government heavy losses including an helicopter, armoured tank, armoured personnel carrier and trucks.

    Mr. Shekau said his group would not give up the fight because they are devoted to the cause.

    He also claimed responsibility for most of the suicide bombings that took place recently.

    The video later showed the abducted 10 policewomen, many of who wept as they looked into camera.

    Read Shekau’s comments as transcribed below:

    “Oh you people of Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, here is my message to you all . The God that created all of us and enjoined us in His holy book, just as he sent it through our holy prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) gave him the instruction to say that Allah has sanctioned mankind this straight path and make clear this path that does not lead one astray. This path is the only path prescribed to all mankind in the world. May God take our lives on this path.

    “The government of Nigeria cannot end what we are doing; they can only die trying.

    Particularly you the people of Nigeria and government of Nigeria; please stop deceiving yourselves about what you cannot achieve. You cannot stop us. And stop following the path that is not right.

    “God has instructed us to catch whoever that is not following our path and detained such persons in our prisons, or we could set him free and let him go ; or we could as well take our revenge on their lives. Whatever we see in the holy book is what we do. We don’t look elsewhere.

    “That is why we hold unto the Chibok girls; that is why we still have the police women. Among the Chibok schoolgirls that insisted on following the ways of their parents’ religion, we allowed them to go back and joined their people. And here with us we have the police women who have not converted to Islam and we are not going to force them to do so. They are here begging for you to come release them.

    “But for the remaining Chibok girls, you can’t get them again because they have all accepted and understood the religion of God. They did not accept Islam because of us; who are we to force them? That is why we say our ways is not that of the mortal being, but that of God.

    “You have said that I, Abubakar Shekau, is tired and unhealthy. But you forget that no one gets tired on the path of God. I am still strong and ready to carry on the work of God. That is why the Chibok schoolgirls, who have gone through the western education, are today following the book of God, because they have come to understand that the constitution is not the right path but a deception. They have now realised that your laws in Nigeria is not for good for them. It is written in the first article of your constitution that the constitution takes precedence over and above any other law book including the holy books. But how come these Chibok girls still come to accept the laws and constitution of God?

    “You use to teach children in your schools to say ‘I pledge to Nigeria my country, to be faithful loyal and honest, to serve Nigeria with all my strength, to defend her honour and glory’. Is that not what you teach your pupils?

    “It is still the same you that ask the children to sing “Arise O’ Compatriots, Nigerians call obey. To serve our father land, with love and strength and faith, the labor of hour heroes past shall never be in vain…”. Is that not what you teach our young children in school that they should not allow the labour of past leaders to waste in vain.

    Do you think all the prophets of God will allow that to happen? Never!

    “President Buhari you are now 76 years old, but let me tell you that many like you have attempted fighting the soldiers of God in the past and they are destroyed. I swear by Allah that you cannot defeat us. That is how you come to tell all kinds of lies. But God knows that his faithful servants cannot be ridiculed before his enemies.

    The Chibok girls that have become Muslims, and got married peacefully, are even calling on your parents to come accept Islam. May God bless you all. And we call on the parents of the Chibok girls that have become good Muslims to accept our ways and be part of us. You have become our in-laws by the virtue of your daughters marrying us. We are now in-laws. We are not fighting with the people, but those that stand against God’s commandment. That is why we reject your books and constitution. That is why I have said it in the past that ‘No rule and regulation in the world rather than Quran’.

    “We still have the policewomen and here are they crying for help. For all that we do, we do for the sake of God. That is why various of our brethren who go out to detonate bombs do so for God’s sake and not for our sake.

    The government should stop telling all these lies, especially the elders of Nigeria. Many elders have lied and did not end up well.

    “The military have come to us but did not end well. That is why your helicopter went down, that is why your armoured tanks got destroyed, that is why your armored trucks from Cameroon did not return. We killed many of you and you took their corpses to conceal the truth.

    “This message is from me Abubakar Shekau and it was released on the day that coincides with the Sunday 14th day of January 2018 in the Islamic calendar”.

    The speech by a representative of the abducted girls is as transcribed below:

    “Oh you our parents in Nigeria, I call on you to repent and worship Allah. We are very happy because we have found a way to Worship Allah. It is Him alone that we worship here; do repent and come to worship your creator. We pity you our parents that you have not accept the ways of Allah. You are only worshipping the country and its constitution. What a pity. It is ignorance.

    “It is even funny that you want the government to come and set us free and take us away. If you come to take us, where will you take us? Back to the land of infidels? God forbid! May God spare us from that your land of infidels. Don’t ever hope that we will ever go back to you. Our hope is to go and join our creator. We are the Chibok schoolgirls and we have come to stay here because here is where we belong, so don’t ever think you will see us again.

    “We pity the other girls who refuse to accept but rather chose going back to Nigeria, after God has given them His grace and brought you to the caliphate. You chose to return to infidelity. You girls will come to regret your actions. You will surely regret it on the day of judgment. Any persons that is in Nigeria and worships the constitution has only one destination which is hell fire. Repent today and worship God.

    “Finally we thank our father, Abubakar Shekau, he is the one that got us married to our husbands. We are all living here with dignity; we lack nothing because he gives us everything that we want. We never lack anything here. May God accept his devotion; may he die as a faithful Muslim. May God give him the ability to continue leading his followers upon the injunctions of holy book and the traditions of the prophet.”

    Read the speech by a representative of the policewomen is transcribed:

    “Assalamu alaikum to the people of Nigeria, here we are in the captivity of Boko Haram. Since our abduction we have been kept alive and well. But our plea is to the president of Nigeria and his vice president to have mercy on us and help us out of here.

    “We are Nigerian citizens and we plead with you to come and rescue us just as you had promised to do in the past.

    “We want you to rescue us in the same manner you rescued the Chibok girls. The other day that your troops invaded this place, was it meant to rescue us or to kill us. We want you to kindly deploy safe means of rescuing us all. We are 10 of us that are held here.”

  • Boko Haram: Army confirms Shekau is alive; insists he’s “in a terrible state of health”

    The Nigerian Army on Monday confirmed that Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is alive but “is in a terrible state of health.”

    This was revealed in a statement released and signed by its spokesperson, Sani Usman.

    The army also said the Boko Haram has devised a technique to evade detection of their homes by Air Force aircraft.

    Mr. Usman, a brigadier general, also said a leader of another Boko Haram faction, Abu Mus’ab Albarnawy, will soon be captured by the military.

    “There is no doubt that the main Boko Haram terrorists group factional leader, Abubakar Shekau, is in a terrible state of health and not much a threat as he is now a spent horse, waiting for his waterloo.

    “However, Abu Mus’ab Albarnawy, who has been busy deceiving and recruiting gullible persons especially misguided youths into his fold will soon be captured. We reliably learnt that some misguided persons, particularly youths, are getting conscripted into the sect through enticements,” he said.

    On the technique to evade air detection, Mr. Usman said the “insurgent’s deployed special roofing techniques in order to avoid air detection and bombardment from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF).

    “They resort to roofing their living accommodation and hideouts with a mixture of coated sugar and mud so that the roof will not reflect when there is sun shine.”

    The brigadier general, however, said “decisive measures have been taken to deal with this deception.”

    Read the full statement below:

    Boko Haram Terrorists Device Tricks of Evading Air Raid

    The Boko Haram terrorists tricks of evading air raids have been unravelled by the Theatre Command of Operation LAFIYA DOLE combating insurgency in the North East of Nigeria.

    The Boko Haram terrorists group have always perfected survival tricks to continue their nefarious activities through enticement, deceit, concealment and outright propaganda. These were decoded through credible intelligence which became imperative for the public to be aware of it.

    The Insurgents deployed special roofing techniques in order to avoid air detection and bombardment from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF). They resort to roofing their living accommodation and hideouts with a mixture of coated sugar and mud so that the roof will not reflect when there is sun shine. Decisive measures have been taken to deal with this deception.

    There is no doubt that the main Boko Haram terrorists group factional leader, Abubakar Shekau, is in a terrible state of health and not much a threat as he is now a spent horse, waiting for his waterloo. However, Abu Mus’ab Albarnawy, who has been busy deceiving and recruiting gullible persons especially misguided youths into his fold will soon be captured. We reliably learnt that some misguided persons, particularly youths, are getting conscripted into the sect through enticements.

    They are usually attracted to the sect because of the deceitful and erroneous impression that Abu Musab’s Albarnawiy brand of “jihad” and insurgency is refined and genuine. This is far from it. Both factions are terrorists’ organizations whose activities constitute crimes against humanity. Their nefarious activities run contrary to the religion of Islam.

    The faction has recruiters all over the country, especially in the north east. However, their clearing house for such conscripts is at Potiskum, Yobe State. Efforts are ongoing to track those involved.

    There is no doubt that Mamman Nur Algadi has been wounded and he is more or less a cripple since 2014 at Mubi, he was hit by NAF while on motorcycle. He is not a fighter, rather he taught in Boko Haram terrorists’ enclave and he is also a member of the Shurah Council of the terrorists group. He was wounded along with one Abu Mujahid, an indigene of Saminaka, Kaduna State, who was later executed by Abubakar Shekau.

    In view of the above, the general public should be wary of these unscrupulous elements attempting to recruit more youths into their sect.

     

  • Boko Haram leader, Shekau releases new video, claims responsibility for Christmas, New Year attacks in North East

    Leader of the deadly Islamic sect (Boko Haram), Abubakar Shekau on Tuesday released a video message insisting the sect is still alive despite the Federal Government and Nigerian military claims of degrading the radical group.

    The wanted insurgent leader released his first video message in months amid a surge in violence casting doubt on the Nigerian government’s claim that the jihadist group is defeated.

    “We are in good health and nothing has happened to us,” said Shekau in the 31-minute video message spoken in the Hausa language common across northern Nigeria.

    “Nigerian troops, police and those creating mischief against us can’t do anything against us, and you will gain nothing,” he said.

    “We carried out the attacks in Maiduguri, in Gamboru, in Damboa. We carried out all these attacks.”

    The video then shows footage from a Christmas Day attack on a military checkpoint in Molai village on the outskirts of the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, which the military said was thwarted by troops after one hour of battle.

    Boko Haram fighters in torn clothes were shown shooting from the back of battered pickup trucks.

    Shekau’s message comes during an acceleration of Boko Haram attacks and just days after the jihadists killed 25 people outside Maiduguri, the birthplace of the Islamist insurgency.

    In December, Boko Haram attacked convoys of Nigerian soldiers and dispatched suicide bombers into crowded markets in towns across northeast Nigeria.

    At least 50 people were killed in November when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a mosque in Adamawa state.

    But Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said in his New Year address that Boko Haram has been “beaten”.

    “Isolated attacks still occur, but even the best-policed countries cannot prevent determined criminals from committing terrible acts of terror,” said Buhari.

    The group has however refuted claims that it has been defeated. The leaders have severally insisted that rather than being degraded, they were daily planning on how to wreck more havoc.

  • Boko Haram: Army kill two deputies to Shekau

    Two Boko Haram commanders and deputies to Abubakar Shekau, a factional leader of the terror group, were killed in successful military operations at Alafa in Borno on Sallah day, an official has said.

    The Army spokesman, Sani Usman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the deputies that were killed in the onslaught included Afdu Kawuri and Abubakar Banishek.

    “This is in addition to Ba’Abba Ibrahim and two other Boko Haram commanders that died after sustaining injuries during their last ambush at Magumeri Local Government Area of Borno,” he added.

    He said five other key leaders of the group and close associates of Mr. Shekau were neutralised in joint bombardment in August.

    Mr. Usman described Mr. Shekau’s latest video in which he taunted the army as an act of desperation and lies by remnants of the insurgents to instill unnecessary fear in law abiding citizens.

    In the video, the group denied the killing of its five key commanders and claimed it had wonderful Sallah celebration in the Sambisa forest.

    “We wish to challenge the so-called terrorist leader to produce the five key commanders earlier killed or the video of those Ameers he claimed not dead and are still with him.

    “It is also instructive to note that Shekau is scared and rattled by the 40-day ultimatum issued by the Chief of Army Staff to Operation LAFIYA DOLE to fish him out,” Mr. Usman, a brigadier general, said.

     

     

    (NAN)

  • Buratai extends ultimatum on capturing Shekau ‘dead’ or ‘alive’ by another 40 days

    Buratai extends ultimatum on capturing Shekau ‘dead’ or ‘alive’ by another 40 days

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has extended his 40-day deadline to troops to capture Abubakar Shekau, leader of terrorist group, Boko Haram.

    His initial deadline to Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, had expired on August 30, 2017.

    Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, in a statement on Friday said the commander requested for an extension of the order.

    He said troops were close to acheiving the goal before the expiration of the deadline.

    Usman, however, did not disclose the duration of the extended deadline.

    He said, “The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. T.Y. Buratai, has commended the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, his sector commanders and all troops of Operation Lafiya Dole for pursuing the COAS directive of capturing the purported Boko Haram terrorists’ leader, Abubakar Shekau, dead or alive, within 40 days beginning on July 21, 2017, which elapsed on August 30, 2017.

    “Although the leader has not been captured, the COAS noted with satisfaction the zeal and determination with which the directive was pursued. He congratulated the commander for eliminating five key leaders of the terrorist group that were the closest associates and right-hand men of the terrorist group leader.

    “The Theatre Commander has asked for the extension of the deadline and it has been granted by the COAS.”

    He added that killing of top five leader of the terrorist group has weakened its structure and capacity.

  • Army unable to capture Shekau as Buratai’s 40 days ultimatum expires

    Army unable to capture Shekau as Buratai’s 40 days ultimatum expires

    Nigerian troops have failed to arrest Boko-Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, after the forty-day ultimatum given to apprehend the terror kingpin elapsed.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai had on July twenty-one ordered the commander of operation Lafiya Dole and his troops to arrest Abubakar Shekau at all costs.

    At a briefing in Maiduguri on the fortieth day of the ultimatum, the commander, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, said the arrest had not been made.

    He however added that the failure to arrest Shekau within the deadline was not an indication that the military would relent in its efforts to fight the Boko-Haram terror group and possibly arrest their leader.

    Attahiru said if the forty days ultimatum to arrest Shekau has elapsed we can fix another forty days ultimatum till he his finally caught.

    Attahiru also said operations are ongoing to locate and rescue the University of Maiduguri staff who had been abducted while exploring oil in Borno by members of the Boko Haram sect.

    The theatre commander in his briefing also gave a breakdown of activities of the northeast counter-insurgency operation, including the terrorists killed, hostages rescued, arrests made, weapons recovered, and losses on the part of Nigerian troops.

  • Shekau has been killed – Defence spokesperson

    Shekau has been killed – Defence spokesperson

    Defence spokesperson, John Enenche says there is evidence that the Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has been killed, but there are many ‘Shekaus’ in the group.

    Speaking on The Osasu Show with Osasu Igbinedion, Enenche also said that the terrorist group has been defeated but total peace can never be achieved in the Northeast, just like any other part of the world.

    “Boko Haram has been defeated, but defeat is a process to achieving total peace. Defeat is a package and it has started; so why can’t we say categorically and confidently that Boko Haram has been defeated? We can say that because before then, you will agree with me that you can’t move around the way people move around in the Northeast now.

    “Insurgents and terrorists had total control over some local governments, they were already collecting taxes as government, but now it is no longer so. They have been defeated, there is a level of security in Nigeria, but does that mean there is no armed robbery in Nigeria? If you study sociology, criminality, crime and all these vices are part of human living.

    “There is no total peace anywhere in the world, and it can never exist. It is normal, it is a usual abnormality that comes with human existence.”

    On Shekau, he said, “It is rather unfortunate that people will believe liars and insurgents, criminals, who don’t have the love of this country at heart. How true is it that the person you are seeing is the leader of Boko Haram? Somebody that appears on a video? Who can verify it, where is the forensic proof?

    “The evidence that we have that any Shekau that ever eliminated has been eliminated is as a result of our after action report. When you attack an area and there were individuals there from your intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance report, and now you take out that place and there’s nothing left, that is an evidence.

    “Anything can be uploaded, there is no forensic evidence that can say this. There are many Shekaus, there are various Shekaus, which is my strong belief.

    “A Shekau is still alive, people keep posing as Shekaus, but who knows the real Shekau? Only the indigenes and the people that are there, and people like carrying big names, that is why we keep knocking out any Shekau that comes up.”

  • Zero forest of Sambisa and the continuous reign of Shekau – Godwin Etakibuebu

    By Godwin Etakibuebu

    Too many things happened in the last few days that seem to be casting doubt over the professional and operational integrity of the Nigerian Armed Forces. Yes, the hard-earned reputation of our cherished armed forces in the environment of hostilities has suddenly taken unbelievable nose-diving into what looks; to us the “bloody civilians” at least, abyss of opprobrium. Mentioning just a few of those happening would suffice here. By the way, it is all about this Boko Haram war.

    The American government, through its State Department, a few days ago, rated the efficiency of the Nigerian Army in the war against Boko Haram very low. The Yankee specifically pointed out the inability of the Nigerian Army to hold down effectively areas recovered from the insurgents as responsible for recent escalation of hostility. The stand of the American is that the “Nigerian Military is not doing enough to hold onto territories recaptured from Boko Haram terrorists despite the successes recorded by the Multi-National Joint Task Force”.

    The colour of the Nigerian Army painted by the American authority on this subject matter is that of an inefficient army. This did not go down well with our military. Of course, it is not expected that the Nigerian Army should throw a celebration party heralding the American analytical statement of fact. We should accept that America knows exactly what it is saying concerning this Boko Haram thing because that country [America] pays very heavily to the sustenance and maintenance of the multi-national force. He, who pays the piper ought to be dictating the tune, is a popular saying.

    The American’s evaluation report however coincided with the Acting President’s marching order to the head of the Nigerian Army and Air-force to move their high command back to the theatre of war in Maiduguri. In issuing that order the Acting President would have recognised the continued decline of the Nigerian Military ability in holding effectively what it had gained initially. Such decline of authority in command of the Nigerian military over Boko Haram; a terrorist organisation declared to have been tactically defeated by President Muhammadu Buhari some months back, is not lost on many watchers of events, both within and without Nigeria. All we can feel this time is that the camp of the insurgents is gaining power and once again dictating the pace of action to our gallant military, which is not supposed to be.

    Perhaps, the most disturbing thing about this war against Boko Haram is exact facts about the person of Abubakar Shekau; the dreaded leader of the sect. Who is he? Is he alive or dead? We don’t know where to get facts about this man with “nine lives” from. The Nigerian Military that has engaged this man in this bloody war, which has gone on for years may not have even known the man. It means we shall remain in the terrain of illusion continuously if we are expecting facts concerning the man from the same military because it is what it [the Nigerian military] has that it can give. I am not being pessimistic for no reason. Let me just establish it quickly the number of times the Nigeria military told us about the death of Abubakar Shekau.

    In 2009, Shekau was reportedly killed, with some one hundred Boko Haram members, who included a key Financer of the group; Alhaji Buji Foi, only for the man to resurfaced in July, 2010 in a video clip. In 2011, the same man was reported killed in a Kano neighbourhood “after an exchange of fire”.

    In 2013, Shekau was reported to “may have died between July 25 and August 3 in a battle in the Sambisa forest which was very fierce on July 30”. The statement made public from the JTF said, “Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide, a border community in Cameroon for treatment from which he never recovered”. But on August 4, 2013, a day after Shekau was reported to have been killed, members of the Sect launched a ferocious attack on two military camps in Mallam Fatori border village and shortly thereafter, a video of Shekau, boasting was released.

    In 2014, both the Nigerian and Cameroonian authorities provided video evidence that a Boko Haram Commander by name Bashir Muhammad who “doubled” as Shekau and took up the mantle of leadership after the real Shekau died in 2013 was killed in Konduga in Borno State. There was tough argument between Nigeria and Cameroon about the authenticity of who actually killed the Shekau and the place he was killed

    On September 24, 2014, the Nigerian Army claimed it killed Shekau during a raid on Konduga on September 17 while photos of Shekau [dead] were made public by the Cameroonian authority, claiming it killed him “during a cross-border raid deep inside Nigeria by its military”. However, Shekau resurfaced a few days later saying, “here l am
    alive. I will only die the day Allah takes my breath”.

    In 2016, report surfaced from the Nigerian military on Tuesday, August 23, that Shekau was “fatally wounded during unprecedented and spectaclar air-raid. Those Boko Haram terrorists commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, while their leader; the so-called Abubakar Shekau, is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders. Several other terrorists were also wounded”. This statement was credited to the Army Spokesman; Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman [now Brigadier General SK Usman].

    So, when the Chief of Army Staff gave order to his men and officers a few days ago to “get Shekau dead or alive within 30 days” the question of “which Abubakar Shekau” became too confronting to all to avoid.

    By the time Sambisa Forest; declared “Zero Camp” by the Military, with Shekau Caliphate’s flag and abandoned Koran, alleged to have been captured from the defeated Forest [items presented to the Commander-in-Chief as spoils of war in a very elaborative ceremony in Abuja] is added to the Shekau mystic life, the Nigerian Armed Forces will have lots of explanations for Nigerians about the truth of this war against Boko Haram.
    For now, Abubakar Shekau reign of terrorism continues in a possible Sambisa Forest of evil that has not been liberated. It is sad indeed. Yes, it sad!

    Godwin Etakibuebu, a veteran journalist, wrote in from Lagos.

  • Cleric vows to trek from Abuja to Maiduguri if Shekau is captured

    A 37-year-old Islamic cleric, Ali Ahmad has vowed to embark on ‘foot journey’ from Abuja to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital should the wanted Boko Haram terrorist, Abubakar Shekau is captured.
    Ahmad said he would take it upon himself to trek the 844 kilometer journey to celebrate the Nigerian troops if they succeed in bringing the ‘heartless’ insurgent down.
    Checks by this reporter show that the distance between Abuja and Maiduguri is measured 844.71 kilometers, approximately 70 miles per hour.
    His promise is coming on the heels of the recent order by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai to the troops fighting Boko Haram in the Northeast to arrest Shekau within 40 days, either dead or alive.
    Ahmad made this revelation while speaking during the prayer organized yesterday by some religious bodies to render Boko Haram spiritual base useless on Wednesday.
    The groups said they would be embarking on 40 a 40-day prayer and fasting for God to end the reign on insurgency in Nigeria.
    Speaking at the Unity Fountain on Wednesday, Ahmad, who claimed to be a native of Gudumbali village in Guzamala LGA of Borno State, said he lost one of his wives and two children to an attack carried out by the Boko Haram insurgents on Monday Market in Maduguri in January 2015.
    Ahmad said he decided to relocate from Borno after the deadly attack.
    Speaking in Hausa, the emotion-laden man said he has not been able to get back on his feet since the attack, which destroyed his shop and goods worth millions of naira.
    “I was doing fine with my family in Maiduguri until January 2015 when the Boko Haram members attacked the Monday Market and killed several people.
    “I was in Kano that day to buy goods when I got a call from my house that my wife, Zaina and two sons have been killed by bomb blast. I lost everything I had and I had no choice than to move my remaining family to my village in Gudumbali. From there I moved to Abuja,” he said.
    The father of three, who attributed the cause of his misfortunes to the activities of Shekau and his men, said he would be the joyous person if the extremist is eventually captured.
    “I am ready to trek from Lagos to Maiduguri if he is arrested. I don’t mind my age and strength. Shekau is an evil man and deserves to die. He will not go unpunished,” Ahmad added.
    Ahmad, while acknowledging the efforts of the military in restoring peace back to the volatile community, said the battle is now between God and evil and that’s why the prayer for the soldiers is very important.
    He said, “Our military deserves all the support and encouragement from spiritual and political leadership of the country to totally wipe away their tears in the north eastern part of the country. It will be everyone’s joy to see Shekau in chains.”