Nigeria and Cameroon were, yesterday, locked in an argument
over who killed Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and where he was killed.
In a rare public show by the Cameroonian army (Armee
Camerounaise), photos of Shekau were made public alongside a statement claiming
he was killed during a cross-border raid deep inside Nigeria by its military.
A Cameroon military source, according to Cameroon Concord,
said on Sunday night that Shekau was killed following an aerial bombardment of
his hideout inside Nigeria.
Purported photo released by Armee Camerounaise (Cameroon
Army) of the Shekau it claimed died from Cameroonian fire, from the portal of
Cameroon Concord.
On the other hand, the Nigerian Army is also laying claim to
the same feat but without photographic evidence yet. The Nigerian Army said its
soldiers might have killed Shekau in Konduga, a town some kilometres away from
Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
“All operations on-going in the environs of Konduga and all
associated border locations within the country are completely being undertaken
by Nigerian troops.”
Reportedly, the Cameroon armed forces since Sunday have been
in serious combat against thousands of Boko Haram fighters trying to enter
Cameroon via Fotokol from Gamboru Ngala in Nigeria.
This came amid confusion over Shekau’s identity as military
experts are trying to ascertain whether the dead ‘Shekau’ was Isa Damsaka or
Bashir Mohammed, who are both top commanders believed to be posing as Shekau.
Meanwhile, efforts to exchange some of the abducted Chibok
school girls with Boko Haram prisoners have flopped again.
The Nigerian military claimed that its troops might have
killed Shekau on September 17 during a desperate attempt by the sect to capture
Konduga as part of their plot to eventually march on and capture Maiduguri.
“It is getting more certain that the terrorist commander who
has been mimicking Shekau in those videos is the one killed in Konduga on September
17, 2014, the military revealed.
The military, however, cautioned that “the process of
confirming the dead body we have is the same as that character who has been
posing as Shekau is ongoing. He is definitely a prominent terrorist commander.
I don’t want to say anything about this yet, please.”
The military source insisted that the resemblance between
Shekau and the corpse in their custody is too striking to be a coincidence.
They cited his facial marks, beard and teeth in addition to the recovery
by Nigerian troops of some of the
armoured vehicles and Hilux SUVs that had featured in previous videos of the
prime suspect. The source assured that the Defence Headquarters will soon
address the nation after full investigation of their latest discovery.
The counter-claims by both countries have raised some
posers: Who actually killed Shekau and where was he killed and how authentic
are the claims?
Confusion over Shekau’s identity
Indeed, confusion reigns supreme over Shekau’s identity.
Strident efforts by the Nigerian military high command to establish the true
identity of the top Boko Haram leader who was shot dead last week, continued in
earnest yesterday, even as the video of the slain man was obtained exclusively
by Vanguard.
The military, it was learnt, had been cautious in making a
formal announcement that Shekau had been killed as a similar declaration last
year, was instantly countered by the sect, following the emergence of another
‘Shekau’ in several video posts on the Internet.
Vanguard gathered from top security sources that although a
bearded man, who resembled Shekau in several material details, was shot dead in
Konduga last week, the military was not sure whether the slain man was Isa
Damsaka or Bashir Mohammed, who the security agencies claim had been mimicking
the real Abubakar Shekau, said to have been killed since June 2013.
The apparent fear over the death of Shekau, in the battle
for Konduga, it was also learnt, has caused some disquiet in the Boko Haram
camp, especially as the video of the dead commander surfaced on the internet
yesterday.
In the six-second video, the critically wounded ‘Shekau’ was
seen lying on the ground writhing in pains as men in military uniform and
civilians surround him with some voices saying, “Waste that man! Waste that
man!”
However, the Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis, who
claims to have worked closely with Abubakar Shekau, said yesterday that he was
convinced that the real Shekau was killed since June 2013 by the Nigerian
security agencies.
Culled from Vanguard
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