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.