Shocking!!! Shekau says I’m alive’ in new video; We killed him DHQ insist

Barely two weeks after the military
announced that it has killed the
Boko Haram commander, who had
been posing as the sect leader,
Abubakar Shekau, the Islamic sect
yesterday released a new video of
Abubakar Shekau, who claimed he
was alive and challenged the
military to produce evidence he
was killed.
The Defence Headquarters, in its
immediate reaction, however
waved aside the purported new
video of Abubakar Shekau,
insisting that the impostor,
Mohammed Bashir, who had been
posing as Shekau was killed by
Nigerian Soldiers in Konduga on
September 17, as corroborated by
still photographs, video evidence,
as well as terrorists, who were
either captured or surrendered.
A screengrab taken on October 2,
2014 from a video released by the
Nigerian Islamist extremist group
Boko Haram and obtained by AFP
shows the leader of the Nigerian
Islamist extremist group Boko
Haram, Abubakar Shekau. Shekau
dismissed Nigerian military claims
of his death in a new video
obtained by AFP on October 2
Distinct resemblance with previous
Shekaus
It is not clear when the footages in
the new video were recorded but
the man that appeared in the 36
minutes video had all the features
of the Shekau that appeared in
most of the previous videos
released by the sect, including his
looks, beard, pattern of dressing
and speaking among others.
“I hereby put to lie the claim that I
was killed,” Shekau said, amidst
thunderous shout of Allahu Akbar
“Allah is great” from his well
armed lieutenants.
He claimed that his fighters shot
down the Alpha Jet (NAF 466)
belonging to the Nigerian Air Force
which was reported missing by the
Defence Headquarters.
The aircraft, with two pilots on
board, reportedly left Yola at about
10:45am on 12th September 2014
on a routine operational mission
but did not return. One of the
pilots was shown in the latest
video stating that their aircraft was
brought down by “fighters of the
Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah.” The
wreckage of the aircraft with the
insignia of the Nigerian Air Force
was also shown.
The pilot, who said he does not
know the where about of his
colleague was thereafter assaulted
with an axe by an executioner who
dressed in military fatigue.
In the video, Shekau said he had
gone far in ensuring that Sharia
Law was strictly observed in his
“Islamic Caliphate” and showed
footages in which a man
“convicted of adultery” was stoned
to death.
The right hand of another man
accused of “stealing” was chopped
off while an unmarried young man
and a young lady “convicted of
fornication” were given 100 lashes
each.
Shekau boastfully said, “I
challenge you, I challenge you. You
even said I was killed. If you kill
me, does that mean you kill (the)
religion? You are not honest. You
have no proof, you have nothing to
say.
“Here I’m, alive. I will only die the
day Allah takes my breath. The
wish of Obama will not kill me, the
wish of Francois Hollande will not
kill me, the wish of Benjamin
Natanyahu will not kill me, the
wish of Ban-ki Moon will not kill
me, the wish of Queen Elizabeth
will not kill me, the wish of the
infidels of the world will not kill
me, not to talk of Jonathan, not to
talk of Kashim (Shettima), not to
talk of Bra-Bra (Yobe State
governor Ibrahim Geidam). Nothing
will kill me until my days are over.
Do whatever you want to do. If you
think what I’m doing is not the
truth, even if you don’t fight me I
will crumble,” he said.
The Defence headquarters however
in a statement posted on its
website, said, “As far as we are
concerned, the individual who was
appearing in video and claiming to
be the leader of the terrorist group
was killed in the Kondunga battle
in September. The resemblance of
the corpse and that of the
eccentric character was
incontrovertible. His identity was
equally corroborated by people
who knew him before we
announced his death.”
The statement titled ‘The
Purported Shekau Video in
Circulation is as follows; “The
Defence Headquarters is studying
the claims made in the video
purportedly released by the
terrorists showing their leader
Abubakar Shekau as dismissing
his death.
“From immediate observation and
what some online news outlets
claimed to have seen, the video
did not indicate when it was shot
neither did it show any proof of life
or currency such as screen time or
date. The video also did not make
any reference to anything that has
happened since the impostor’s
reported death.
“It is also noteworthy that the air
plane said to be mentioned in the
video had been missing before he
was killed. It should not surprise
anybody if the terrorists decide to
manipulate pictures, clone another
Shekau or upload a pre-recorded
video all in a bid to prove
invincible.
“While still conducting thorough
investigation into the new claims
in the purported video, the military
promised that justice will be
served to whoever bears that name
or designation and whoever
engages in act.
Anger in the military
Also, independent investigations by
PRNigeria revealed that there is
anger within the military hierarchy
at the propensity of some news
media especially foreign based
ones to fall for the antics of Boko
Haram propaganda.
“This is because in view of glaring
evidences shown in still and video
photographs coupled with oral
testimonies of surrendering and
captured terrorists, some media
outfits still help in the spread of
propaganda that Bashir
Mohammed alias Abubakar Shekau
is still alive.
A top source in Abuja however told
PRNigeria that the new video
purportedly released by “Abubakar
Shekau” was still being carefully
studied but urged Nigerians to
continue to have confidence in the
ability of their military to contain
terrorism in parts of the country
but keep strict vigilance on their
environment so as to report
suspicious activities to appropriate
authorities.
Shekau’s death stalls Chibok girls’
freedom—insider source
Although the nation has celebrated
his demise, the death of Shekau
will not necessarily end insurgency
in the North, a Boko Haram insider
source has told Vanguard .
The source, who has been deeply
involved in series of negotiations
to free the Chibok girls, confirmed
to the paper that the killing of
Shekau by the military had also
stalled negotiations for the release
of the 219 Chibok school girls
being holed up by the sect.
The source described the botched
negotiations between the
government and the sect
leadership as having broken down
irretrievably.
The source said, “I think this
particular phase of the
negotiations has irretrievably
collapsed. It is sad. Boko Haram
had internal challenges that
complicated their positions and
negotiations cannot proceed in
such circumstances.
“Shekau or his impostor’s death is
a significant blow to the terrorists,
but the war is far from over.
Asked to give an idea when the
girls would be freed, the source
explained that he did not know but
quickly warned against the use of
force to free them.
“We cannot assume that securing
the girls will come through force
alone. There must be room for a
negotiated release. And so also is
the bigger question of ending the
insurgency.
“I am confident we can win the
battle against terrorist, because if
there is one country that can
defeat a war against islamic
terrorism it is Nigeria and our
military can.
“The issue is really how to achieve
peace and harmony for the affected
communities that Boko Haram is
currently drawing its recruits from.
If we do not begin engaging them
in time for a negotiated end, then
a military victory alone will never
restore peace, which is crucial for
reconciliation, demobilisation,
reconciliation and development.”
But he made it clear that the
involvement of northern leaders
was crucial in ending the cycle of
violence being perpetrated by the
sect in the region.
He said: “Only the northern
political and religious elite can
save Nigeria of this scourge
because whether they admit it or
not, it was created with the
complicity of some amongst them
and to serve interests they
espoused politically, even if most
of them would want to distance
themselves from the group today.
The insider admitted that President
Jonathan’s refusal to use force to
clear the militants was actually
disarming the sect which had
wanted to use its tactic to plunge
the country into a religious war
that would have been more
disastrous if they had succeeded.
“Ironically, what most people
blame President Jonathan for, is
indeed what has saved Nigeria
from even greater calamity.
President Jonathan’s patience,
tenacity and slowness to anger,
unlike his predecessors, is largely
responsible for holding the country
together.
“The larger intention of Boko
Haram was to draw the entire
country into a religious war after
growing in strength and
intimidating its initial funders,
backers and political benefactors
who are muslims and
predominantly from the north .
“Watching Boko Haram’s most
deadly terrorist acts, its effective
propaganda machine and dealing
directly with representatives of the
group during recent negotiations
for the release of the Chibok girls, I
remain steadfast in my conviction
that most of the group’s financial
and material support comes from
within Nigeria, even if channelled
through contacts abroad.
It was learnt from another source
that the breakdown of the deal on
the Chibok girls was responsible
for President Goodluck Jonathan’s
silence on the crucial mater during
his Independence Day broadcast
on Wednesday morning.
The discussion on the girls’ release
had broken down two weeks ago
when Boko Haram representatives
insisted on the release of 18 of its
commanders being held in various
prisons by the government in
exchange for only 30 out of the
219 girls.