By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
Nigeria’s social media is buzzing over the reported death of Abubakar Shekau, the dreaded leader of Boko Haram.
Nigerians want Shekau dead for a good reason. The man has terrorised them for so long. That is why any news about his death always get their attention.
Shekau has been ‘killed’ three times by the Nigerian military, and three times he has denied his death with video proof.
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, now the chief of defence staff, said 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.”
This is now the fourth time Shekau would be killed. The difference here is that it was a rival terrorist gang, the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) that caused his death.
According to HumAngle, a news website published by Ahmad Salkida, a journalist with access to Boko Haram, Shekau met his end when ISWAP fighters captured Sambisa forest and ordered Shekau to surrender. He did and engaged them in an hours-long meeting with the ISWAP fighters, where he was asked to voluntarily relinquish power.
The newspaper said he refused and instead opted to blow himself up.
Nigerians are still wary to accept the news without photo evidence of Shekau’s corpse.