A couple of weeks after the leader of dreaded Islamist sect, Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau resurfaced in a video posted on the internet, Nigerian Army authorities are still investigating whether he is truly alive or dead.
The spokesperson for the then Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, had claimed in August that Shekau may have died during exchange of gunfire with troops.
“Intelligence report available to the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Restore Order revealed that Abubakar Shekau, the most dreaded and wanted terrorists leader may have died. He died of gunshots wounds received in an encounter with the JTF in one of their camps in Sambisa Forest on 30th June, 2013.
“Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide-a border community in Cameroon for treatment from which he never recovered,” Lt. Col. Musa had said in a statement celebrated by the media.
But Shekau has since resurfaced, saying he was alive. He had said in the video “Here I am, alive, hale and hearty. Sagir Musa should bury himself in shame, President Jonathan (of Nigeria) should bury himself in shame, President Obama (of United States of America) should bury himself in shame, and President Francois Hollande (of France) should bury himself in shame, Queen Elizabeth (of England) should bury herself in shame.
“They said I am dead, but here I am. The world should know that I am alive and will only die at the appointed time. Everybody should be judged according to the dictates of his conscience. What I am doing is written in the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith and I will not stop. I challenge all the clerics of the world to question my deeds. Those underrating my capacity should have a re-think. I will never allow democracy to thrive.
“The concept of Government of the people by the people for the people will never be possible and will never exist. Democracy shall be replaced only by the government of Allah, from Allah and for Allah.
“Nigerian soldiers are late. After killing many of them in Monguno and Benisheik, we have snatched their armoured carriers and Hilux van and then hoisted Islamic flags on them. We now move freely with them,
Addressing newsmen on Friday on the security situation in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, the Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Brig-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, insisted that the video needed to be verified to know whether it was real or not.
“The issue of whether Shekau is alive or dead, I want to reconfirm here that we needed to verify the video released by him.
“This verification has to be done by various sources, as there are technical sources that will look at the video to ascertain its authenticity or otherwise.
“So, we are still investigating the claim and as soon as we get the information, we will let the public know,” the Army spokesperson said.
On the situation reports from the north east, Attahiru said “several insurgent’s camps have been effectively neutralized,” making it extremely difficult for the insurgents to operate.
President Goodluck Jonathan, had in May this year declared a state of emergency in the three frontline states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, following escalation of crisis in the north eastern region.
The Islamist insurgents have carried out series of attacks in the last two years, leading to loss of thousands of lives and destruction of properties. They have also claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Force headquarters and United Nations building, both in Abuja, as well the Christmas Day bombing of a Catholic Church in Madalla, near Abuja.
