Troops fighting to wipe out Boko Haram from towns occupied by the terror group have been urged to capture the insurgent’s leader, Abubakar Shekau believed to be desperately looking for escape routes following the recent military onslaught in the area.
PR Nigeria, which issues statement on behalf of security agencies, said yesterday in a statement: “Nigerian troops have been put on red alert for any insurgent leader bearing the name of Imam Abubakar Shekau who is believed to be desperately looking for escape routes. A senior military source informed PR Nigeria that troops have been urged to try at all costs to capture Shekau alive so that he would face justice.”
“On at least two occasions now, troops have killed characters calling themselves Abubakar Shekau in videos but the insurgents managed to find other individuals looking like him and pretend that he was still alive.”
The order to get Shekau alive is to ensure that it will no longer be possible to resort to the same trick, PRNigeria noted.
The statement also said troop morale had been boosted by the decision of senior military officers to lead the war directly, influencing change of some commanders. In the past, Colonels led direct attacks but because of the large scale desertions, Generals decided to directly lead the war and this has greatly boosted troop morale, the agency said.In August 2013, then JTF Spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said in a statement that reports available to the Joint Task Force Operation Restore Order revealed that Abubakar Shekau had died of gunshot wounds received in an encounter with the JTF troops in one of their camps at Sambisa Forest on June 30, 2013.
“Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide-a border community in Cameroun for treatment and never recovered. It is greatly believed that Shekau might have died between July and August 3, 2013,” he said then. But after that, many figures appeared on video recordings from the sect as Shekau, threatening more mayhem. This time, the troops have been instructed to get him alive to put such confusions to rest.
Boko Haram leader, Imam Aubakar Shekau made a dramatic appearance during the week in a video released via DVD to the public in Maiduguri. Dressed in military camouflage, Shekau was surrounded by several of his lieutenants waving automatic weapons and taunting security agents and taunting world
