REVEALED: FG Assumes Leader Of Boko Haram, Shekau Is Dead, Full Details
How FG Assumes Shekau Is Dead
The Nigerian government says it now believes that leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has been killed, as reported by numerous sources, including the terrorist group itself.
MI Abaga laments the condition of Nigerian police stations after spending 2 hours in one Shekau took control of the Islamic sect after security forces cracked down on the group and extra-judicially murdered its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, in 2009.
He has since then survived many attempts by the military to capture or kill him, with numerous claims of successes by authorities mocked by the terrorist.
However, reports emerged in May 2021 that the bloodthirsty jihadist was killed during a confrontation with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a breakaway Boko Haram faction, in a struggle for control of the northeast region terrorised over the past decade.
Shekau Is Dead
He reportedly detonated an explosive jacket to kill himself rather than surrender to ISWAP.
While many of the reports have quoted reliable terror sources, Nigerian authorities had failed to react or corroborate the report for months until the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, commented this week.
The minister told VOA on Monday, August 23 that the government now believes Shekau is dead based on the reports.
He said, “Going from reports from the camp of Boko Haram itself, and going by the instability that has followed shortly after and the struggle for succession, and the recent surrender by thousands of Boko Haram adherents, I think it’s safe to assume that really, you know, he’s dead.
“We’ve not seen any resurfacing of Abubakar Shekau.”
Boko Haram has terrorised the north east region since 2009 and displaced millions of people from their communities, with their activities spreading to communities in neighbouring countries.
The death toll directly linked to the group’s violence has been estimated to be around 35,000, but the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said in a recent report that the total death toll is 10 times higher.
“We estimate that through the end of 2020, the conflict will have resulted in nearly 350,000 deaths, with 314,000 of those from indirect causes,” the report noted.
A significant amount of the casualties were recorded in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe, with children younger than five years old being the hardest hit.
Shekau Is Dead
