Abubakar Shekau
The media was awash yesterday
with the news of the ‘resurfacing’ of Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the
islamist extremist group in Nigeria, Boko Haram, who the Nigerian Army recently
suggested was dead. The long silence from Abubakar Shekau between the time he
was pronounced dead by the army and his latest ‘communication’ lent credence to
the suggestion, and people began to believe that he was truly dead.
In an
earlier Naijanews Sweep publication,
titled “Shekau, Boko
Haram leader, dead or alive?” we explored the dangers of the
tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Shekau was dead, based on ‘some intelligence’
available only to the army. In the article we stated “JTF (now Army,
7 Division) should do better than what they are currently presenting to
Nigerians, by proffering concrete proof to convince the nation he[Shekau] has
truly been killed, other than that they should keep quiet and concentrate on
their task of restoring peace in the northeast. Relying on some undisclosed
intelligence to make such declarations is not what Nigerians want. Such
intelligence might have deliberately been planted by the insurgents through
their agents of disinformation to dissuade JTF from going after the
sect leaders.”
We went further to state: “While recognising that JTF may have resorted to such propaganda tactics to lessen the morale of members of the sect, it might not be an effective tool at the end of the day, if eventually it was found that Shekau is still alive. Obviously, it would be very disappointing for Shekau to come out next week with another video to prove he is still around and in full control. It could also backfire to such an extent that when Shekau is eventually killed, many may not accept that he is truly dead. This could be capitalised upon by whoever may replace him, to continue to insurgency, by convincing the members of the sect that the leader is still alive.”
We went further to state: “While recognising that JTF may have resorted to such propaganda tactics to lessen the morale of members of the sect, it might not be an effective tool at the end of the day, if eventually it was found that Shekau is still alive. Obviously, it would be very disappointing for Shekau to come out next week with another video to prove he is still around and in full control. It could also backfire to such an extent that when Shekau is eventually killed, many may not accept that he is truly dead. This could be capitalised upon by whoever may replace him, to continue to insurgency, by convincing the members of the sect that the leader is still alive.”
With the recent video
purportedly released by Shekau, it seems what we feared most in our earlier
article has happened.
Abubakar Shekau allegedly spoke
on tape on Wednesday, boasting of his invincibility and threatening to ground
democracy in Nigeria. “The world should know that I cannot die except by the
will of Allah. I have told you that all that I do is prescribed by the Quran,”
he stated.
According to reports, Shekau,
who was surrounded by dozens of his lieutenants (dressed in military fatigues),
spoke amid laughter and sarcasm, as he took responsibility for recent deadly
attacks in Monguno, Benisheik and surrounding villages of Borno State.
He took a swipe at the Nigerian
army, mocking them as he stated the group had succeeded in taking possession of
three of the army’s armoured tankers, large cache of arms and fleets of
military vehicles and troops. “It was said that I was killed, but here I am; I
deliberately refused to respond on time; but here I am talking and laughing at
Nigerian authorities, who misled the world that I am dead. I believe by now
Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, who issued the statement of my death, should
bury his head in shame; President (Goodluck) Jonathan should bury his head in
shame; President Barack Obama should bury his head in shame, President François
Hollande should bury his head in shame.”
“How shameful is it for
Nigerian military for a man they called inconsequential to defeat them and
seize their tankers and arms?” he said.
The Nigerian Army is obviously
investigating the veracity of the tape. There are ample reasons to believe the
tape may have been forged. Islamist terrorists round the world are known for releasing
fake videos to launder their image and boost their struggles.
However, while the authenticity
of the purported tape remains in doubt; one glaring fact is that Shekau or Boko
Haram has dealt a devastating strategic blow on the Nigeria Army, with the
release of the tape. The tape has further damaged the already battered image of
the Nigerian Army. Nigerians henceforth will find it very difficult to believe
any future information the army may release regarding their ongoing effort to
combat the Boko Haram.
This is should serve as a
learning curve for the leadership of the Nigerian Army and restrain them from
making premature pronouncements in the future.
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