The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday, in a statement, disclosed that the name of Shekau has become irrelevant in the on-going operations against the Boko Haram outlawed sect in the North-East of the country.
Abubakar Shekau has remained a recurring decimal since the demise of Boko Haram leader, Mohammed Yusuf. The sect has consistently issued statements using the same name, a development that has made the military to suspect that Shekau has become the title for their leadership.
It would be recalled that even the Chadian president, Idris Debby once claimed that the sect had named another leader to succeed Shekau whom he described as pro-dialogue.
But the DHQ in a statement signed by its acting director of Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar said the military has no interest of whatever has become of Shekau.
“The Nigerian Armed Forces is not considering any particular person in the terror group to be much relevant in the ongoing onslaught against insurgency in the North East.
“Shekau or any of his cohorts would not deter the spate of the military operations to rid the country of criminals hiding under strange religious ideology to kill innocent Nigerians”, the military stated.
According to Abubakar, “The military view as irrelevant and fruitless effort the motive behind the recent audio clip presumably released by Shekau, the acclaimed leader of Boko Haram sect.
“The Armed Forces is using this medium to appeal to the good citizens of Nigeria not to lose sleep over the concocted audio rhetoric of the waning terrorist sect which is a usual antic of a drowning person struggling to hold on to anything to remain afloat.
“The Armed Forces wishes to reiterate that it is a well known fact that the terrorists have been seriously decimated and the tremendous effort and achievement recorded in the recent time by combined forces of the Nigerian Army and the Air Force is commendable.“The Armed Forces did not lie about the successes recorded so far in its counterinsurgency operations and for avoidance of doubt, the liberated communities in the North East, which were hitherto under the throes of Boko Haram terrorists, are free for interested persons or body to explore”.
The military high command however advised Shekau, if alive at all, to embrace peace by surrendering or face the consequence. “The military does re-state that in the recent time a number of Boko Haram members have been surrendering and denouncing radicalisation.
