By Nigerian-born Dan Wooding, Founder of the ASSIST News Service
NIGERIA (ANS – August 18, 2015)
– The mystery of the fate of the Nigerian-based Islamist militant group
Boko Haram's brutal leader, Abubakar Shekau, has deepened after an
audio message has emerged in which he denies he has been replaced.
According to the BBC, in the
message, addressed to the leader of the Islamic State militant group to
whom Boko Haram has pledged allegiance, Mr. Shekau said he was still in
command. He had not featured in the group's recent videos, prompting
speculation he had been killed or incapacitated.
Last week, Idriss Déby, the
President of neighbouring Chad, claimed that Abubakar Shekau, had been
ousted and replaced by his deputy, Mahamat Daoud.
President Déby revealed this
surprise information during a press conference on Tuesday, August 11,
2015, in which he also said that Boko Haram is “losing the way” and
would be “annihilated” by the end of this year.
Déby said, “There is someone
apparently called Mahamat Daoud who is said to have replaced Abubakr
Shekau and he wants to negotiate with the Nigerian government. For my
part, I would advise not to negotiate with a terrorist.”
Mr. Shekau has not featured in
the group's recent videos, leading to speculation that he has been
killed, but now, following his audio message, many are confused as to
what is going on with this infamous terrorist.
The BBC said, however, that the
Nigerian army has dismissed the audio recording as irrelevant, saying
it did not matter whether he was alive or dead.
Mr. Shekau described as “blatant lies” reports that he was no longer in charge.
I am alive,” he said, adding: “I will only die when the time appointed by Allah comes.”
Mansur Liman, Editor, of the
BBC Hausa Service, says, “There is no doubt that the voice is that of
Abubakar Shekau, but he seemed more subdued than in his previous
recordings.
“His delivery was slow and
steady, in contrast to his habitually theatrical performances. It is
also interesting that this was an audio recording, rather than one of
the slickly produced videos Boko Haram has been releasing, rather like
those of its Islamic State allies.
“It could be that the pressure is starting to tell.”
Liman added, “Nigeria's army
has been making progress and cutting off the group's supply lines. While
they used to stage attacks in large convoys of vehicles with heavy
weapons, witnesses say recent raids have been carried out on horseback
and even bicycles.”
Horrific attacks
The BBC said that Mr. Shekau
took over as the group's leader after its founder, Muhammad Yusuf, died
in Nigerian police custody in July 2009.
“Under his leadership Boko
Haram has become more radical and has carried out more killings,” said
the BBC story. “In numerous videos, Mr. Shekau has taunted the Nigerian
authorities, celebrating the group’s violent acts including the
abduction of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014.
Last
month, Mr. Buhari said he would be willing to negotiate with the Boko
Haram leadership for the release of the Chibok girls - depending on the
credibility of those saying they represented the group. A previous
prisoner-swap attempt ended in failure.
“Although momentum is gathering
for a concerted regional offensive against the group, Boko Haram
continues to carry out horrific attacks, not only in Nigeria but in its
neighbors too, reports the BBC's Africa editor Mary Harper.
Boko Haram at a glance:
* Founded in 2002, initially
focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means “Western
education is forbidden” in the Hausa languageLaunched military
operations in 2009
* Thousands killed, mostly in
north-eastern Nigeria, abducted hundreds, including at least 200
schoolgirlsJoined Islamic State, now calls itself “West African province
* Seized large area in north-east, where it declared a caliphateRegional force has retaken most territory this year
Photo captions: 1) Abubakar
Shekau. 2) The Chad president. 3) Boko Haram on the attack in Nigeria.
4) Dan Wooding as a baby in Nigeria in the arms of his mother, Anne
Wooding, a pioneer missionary from Liverpool, England.
About
the writer: Dan Wooding, 74, is an award-winning author, broadcaster
and journalist who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents,
and is now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he
has been married for 52 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter,
and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He has written some 45
books and has reported for ANS from all over Africa.
** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net).
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