LEADER of Boko Haram terrorist group Abubakar Shekau has reportedly committed suicide after his ‘territory’ was attacked by a faction group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to HumAngle, the ISWAP fighters invaded the stronghold of Shekau and subdued his bodyguards in some parts of the Sambisa Forest ‘controlled’ by him.
After he was surrounded, Shekau reportedly blew himself up during a negotiation with some members of ISWAP who demanded that he pledge allegiance to them.
In another report, the AFP reported that although Skekau was surrounded by ISWAP fighter, he did not blow himself up, rather he shot himself in the shoulder to avoid being captured. The report further read that due to the gunshot, Shekau was badly injured.
ISWAP is a faction of Boko Haram that separated from the latter over a disagreement with the methodology. However, The ICIR is yet to confirm his death.
The Boko Haram terrorist group has claimed responsibility for several violent atrocities against Nigerians, including killings and abductions. The terrorist group was responsible for kidnapping 276 schoolgirls in Borno State.
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For more than six years, several reports about the death of Shekau have been in circulation across Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin where the terrorist group is most dominant.
In 2014, the Nigerian Army claimed that it had killed Shekau in Buni Yadi, Borno State, but did not provide evidence to prove that he was killed. However, Shekau resurfaced in a video calling the bluff of the Army’s claim.
Two years later, the military again came out to say Shekau was fatally wounded during another military operation in Borno State.
The ICIR contacted Army spokesman Mohammed Yerima, but he said he would not talk about the issue. Defence spokesman Clement Nwachukwu did not respond to the reporter’s calls.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94