The wanted leader of the outlawed Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, on Sunday released a video in which he declared Gwoza in Borno State as part of an Islamic Caliphate ruled by the group.
The insurgency group captured the hilly town of Gwoza over a week ago and has hoisted the sect’s flag there ever since.
“We are grateful to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in Gwoza and made her part of the Islamic Caliphate, Shekau declared.
The militant leader once again restated that the sect does not recognise Nigeria as a state, declaring “”Oh People, oh people, I’m here still standing Abubakar Shekau…the leader of Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lid Da’awati wal Jihad in Nigeria, in the country called Nigeria. We don’t believe in this name. We call Nigeria by this name because they call her by it.”
“For that we tell them Nigeria because they call her Nigeria. We are in Islamic Caliphate. We have nothing to do with Nigeria,” he said further.
In the new video in which he spoke Hausa and Arabic, Shekau once again claimed responsibility for bomb blasts and attacks all over the North east and Abuja, particularly mentioning Damaturu, Damboa.and Gwoza.
As usual, he taunts Western powers that are helping to fight terrorism in Nigeria and around the world, calling them infidels.
“We are grateful to Allah who infuriates the grandfather of infidels like Israel, Britain and saddened their fathers or saddened their father America,” he said.
Then he singles out the United States, Isreal and France. “Who is America in the sight of Allah? Who is America in the sight of Allah? Who is Israel in the sight of Allah? Who is France in the sight of Allah? It is only when we don’t have firm belief,” he queried.
He continued: “How can one fear these people (America) if one is indeed a believer. How can one fear these people (America) if one is indeed a believer?”
Shekau said his speech on Sunday was an “Exhortation” and a “warning” and he directly threatens to continue killing members of the youth vigilante popularly called the Civilian JTF.
“O you Vigilante, repent. You will never succeed in your mission. You will never succeed, I swear by Allah. And we will never stop killing you. Allah told us. We will never stop, we don’t pity you. If we pity you we will become infidels. To have pity for you is disbelief,” the terrorist declared.
He went further: “You should know that what we have done to you, the way we kill you despite dressing as women. We will not leave you, we will remove the women clothing while you are shouting, strike, smash your heads and kill. Even if you don’t do anything to us we will kill you…We would do it even to avenge our brethren. You killed our brethren in large numbers.”
