SAN FRANCISCO, August 16, (THEWILL) – The rumours making the round that Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, is dead was punctuated Sunday with the release of an audio in which he spoke in Hausa.
In the new audio released on the social media, Shekau, who was presented as the new Amir (emir) of the Islamic State, West Africa Province, ISWAP tackled both President Muhammadu Buhari and Chadian leader, Idris Derby . He also denounced north-east leaders as he pledged allegiance to Caliph Ibrahim of ISIS.
In his new capacity as the Wali or patron of ISWAP and in a voice distinctly similar to his, Shekau denied that he is dead or injured.
He scoffed at the three months ultimatum Buhari gave the new service chiefs to end the insurgency in Nigeria, just as he called both presidents ‘dagutai’, the plural of ‘dagut’ meaning idolaters. He severally called Derby ‘debit’ in an apparent denigration of his name.
Ensconced in what sounds like a cozy atmosphere, with the purr of a kitten in the background, Shekau chastised Buhari as somebody who transgresses due limits set by Allah and ”sees himself as the leader of people who call themselves Nigerians.”
Coming after five months he spoke last, the new audio appeared at a time when the Defence headquarters claimed that it is daily decimating the ranks of the insurgents.
DHQ spokesperson, Col. Rabe Bello, Sunday, tweeted against the background of news that Sambisa forest, the lair of the insurgents, was under daily bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force, stressing that Boko Haram no longer has a “central command.”
According to Col. Bello, ”Boko Haram’s centre of gravity and all their arsenals are being destroyed on daily basis. They are now scattered with no central command.
“Efforts and strategies are being put in place to assure the citizens that the war against insurgency in the North-East will soon be over as directed by the President.”
He appealed for the understanding and support of the citizenry in the ongoing efforts by the government to tackle the insurgents’ reign of terror, saying ”development can only be possible where peace reigns.”
