Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has finally been confirmed dead by fellow jihadist militia members. The leader had been declared dead several times before.
Abubakar Shekau was a leader feared by other radical Islamist movements who has also chosen to distance themselves from him too.
In a video, the group alleged new Boko Haram boss Bakura Modu, said that Shekua had died a ‘martyr’ and he accused the rival jihadist militia Islamic State province of West (ISWAP), of killing Shekau.
Modu, also known as Sahaba, declared himself the new leader of the Boko Haram. The video was sent to AFP by a source close to Boko Haram.
According to Al-Barnawi, Shekau committed suicide while fleeing from Iswap fighters.
He blew himself up while fighting in a forest in Borno state. Boko Haram initially did not comment on reports of his death by the rival militia.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau’s reign
The Boko Haram leader took on his role after the death of the previous chief, Mohammed Yusuf who died in police custody. He led the group from an underground sect to a the terror it is now that swept North-East Nigeria.
READ RELATED ARTICLE: Nigeria, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau dead
Under his leadership, the Boko Haram staged bombings, kidnappings and prison breaks across the region. In 2014, it began taking over towns to convert them to Islamic states under Sharia law.
Shekau went ahead to orchestrated killings very similar to other Islamist groups to which he said, “I enjoy killing… the way I enjoy slaughtering chickens and rams.”
Since he took charge, more than 30,000 people have been killed and over two million displaced from their homes.
The group became more of a global menace after it kidnapped hundred of girls from a school in Chibok and released them <<Nigerian: 279 kidnapped schoolgirls finally released>> bringing about the #bringbackourgirlscampaign
Source: Spiegel