The Defence Headquarters has faulted a recent video purportedly released by the dreaded Boko Haram where its leader Abubakar Shekau appeared, claiming to still be alive and well.
In a statement released on the official website of the Nigerian military on Thursday, the Defence Headquarters maintained that the person ‘claiming’ to be Shekau in the sect’s videos was killed in the battle of Konduga in September.
It was stated that the resemblance between the insurgent who was killed and the sect’s leader could not be contradicted adding that his corpse was further confirmed by people who knew him.
“As far as we are concerned, the individual who was appearing in video and claiming to be the leader of the terrorist group was killed in the Kondunga battle in September.
“The resemblance of the corpse and that of the eccentric character was incontrovertible. His identity was equally corroborated by people who knew him before we announced his death.
“So, while waiting to see the new video before any further statement, our message to them is that justice will be served to whoever bears that name or designation and whoever engages in act.”
The statement also stated that the recent video did not indicate when it was shot neither did it display any screen time and date.
“From immediate observation and what some online news outlets claimed to have seen, the video did not indicate when it was shot neither did it show any proof of life or currency such as screen time or date. The video also did not make any reference to anything that has happened since the impostor’s reported death.”
The DHQ observed that “It is also noteworthy that the air plane said to be mentioned in the video had been missing before he was killed. It should not surprise anybody if the terrorists decide to manipulate pictures, clone another Shekau or upload a pre-recorded video all in a bid to prove that he is invincible.”
The statement also said “The Defence Headquarters is studying the claims made in the video purportedly released by the terrorists showing their leader Abubakar Shekau as dismissing his death.”
The military insisted that justice would be served on anybody that took on the name Shekau and engages in acts of terrorism.
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