By Ishaya Ibrahim
Acting News Editor
The Nigerian Army has said that the factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, is on the run and dressed in a black hijab. “He is desperately trying to escape the theatre disguised as a woman dressed in hijab,” army spokesman, Brigadier-General SK Usman said.
TheNiche decided to do a fact check on army’s claims about Shekau in the last five years.
In 2013, the former Joint Task Force (JTF) spokesperson in Borno State, Lt Col Sagir Musa, had claimed that Shekau might have died between July 25 and August 3, 2013 in Amitchide, Cameroun, after being mortally wounded in an encounter with JTF in Sambisa forest.
On May 12, 2014 the Department of State Security (DSS) said that the man claiming to be Abubakar Shekau, the Boko Haram leader, is an impostor. That the original Shekau has since died and the name is now a title for the head of Boko Haram.
On September 1, 2016 Major General Lucky Irabor, Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, insisted that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is dead. “I can confirm to you that the original Shekau was killed, the second Shekau was killed, and the man presenting himself as Shekau, I can also confirm to you that few days ago, he was wounded. We are yet to confirm whether he is dead or not.”
The General therefore was referring to three Shekaus – coincidentally, all of them look exactly the same, if one examines their videos.
The question therefore arises, is it possible to take another person’s face by plastic surgery procedure?
Plastic surgeons have not yet wrought that kind of miracle. But assuming it is possible, it would require a multi disciplinary team effort, an expertise the terror group is unlikely to have perfected.
Neelu Maini, a plastic surgeon in India also explained on her blogwww.quora.com that the procedure is impossible.
“Some amazing things can be done in Plastic surgery but changing one’s face into another is a different ball game. Of course things can be done to dramatically change one’s appearance but not as exactly as movies would have you believe. I can’t make you look like me however hard I tried.”
If transplanting people’s face is a movie fantasy, like in the film, Face Off, where Nicolas Cage took the face of John Travolta, who then is on the run in a woman’s hijab?
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
