Looks like
yesterday’s song of victory over Shekau was hastily sang. In a tweet earlier
today, Mr. Salkida dismissed media reports that the Nigerian government was
negotiating with Boko Haram for the release of more than 200 schoolgirls
kidnapped in mid-April by Boko Haram militants in Chibok, Borno State.
The reporter’s
tweet also described as untrue reports that the International Red Cross (IRC)
was working on a deal that would persuade Boko Haram to free the abducted
Chibok schoolgirls in exchange for the release of detained Islamist insurgents
in the custody of Nigerian security agencies.
Mark my words: I have it on authority that Shekau is well & alive,
the picture going round is NOT the person who torments us with his group
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Mr.
Salkida’s tweet appeared to confirm that the Boko Haram “officer” killed by
Nigerian soldiers in Konduga was a different person from Mr. Shekau. In fact,
Nigerian security officials have maintained for months that Mr. Shekau was
dead, apparently killed by his own disaffected lieutenants in an internal
rivalry for control of the terrorist organization.
However,
Salkida sent out another tweet today which appeared to cast doubt on the fact
that Shekau indeed had a double.
A
confidential debriefing document by the Nigerian army obtained last week by
SaharaReporters also acknowledged that Mr. Shekau stayed permanently in his
holdout in Sambisa Forest and was not in the habit of venturing out to battles.
Item “R” of the document stated, ”Shekau has his wife and 2 children in Sambisa
Forest. He is Kanuri, he speaks Hausa and he does not travel.”
The source told SaharaReporters that the
insurgents, who are being kept in one of the barracks in Maiduguri, told
interrogators that they fled from a camp near Bama after their commander shot
dead two insurgent field officers “for losing valuable weapons to infidels.” He
added that the surrendering militants claimed they were reluctant and
small-time fighters who were recently recruited from towns and villagers taken
by Boko Haram.
For close to
two weeks, the insurgents have not been able to reproduce their earlier streak
of victories over Nigerian troops. Instead, they have been routed in Konduga
and driven out of Baza in Adamawa State.
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