Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau in a new video published online has debunked the claim that he was injured in an airstrike in remote northeast Nigeria.
Shekau speaking in the new video
In a new video published online late on Thursday, Abubakar Shekau, the deadly and notorious leader of Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, debunked the claim that he was injured in an airstrike in remote northeast Nigeria.
Reports
had emerged online alleging that the terrorist group leader was wounded and one of his deputies killed when two air force jets bombarded fighters at Balla village last Friday.
Shekau in the new video said he is alive and ignorant of the airstrike attack, insisting he was not injured and that none of his key lieutenants was harmed either.
In the 14-minute clip which he spoke in Hausa and Arabic, Shekau was flanked by two masked, armed men, sitting against what appeared to be a desert camouflage net and Boko Haram’s black and white insignia with no indication of where the video was shot.
He said; “I’m alive, I’m alive, I’m alive,” he said, wearing his trademark camouflage jacket and cradling an assault rifle.
“I’m alive, you have not killed any of my men. I didn’t even know this incident you are talking about ever happened.
“What surprises me is your claim that I’m nursing wounds. Look at me well. Look at my sitting posture.”
There was a surveillance footage which showed air force missiles being fired on Boko Haram fighters believing to have injured or killed them according to the army spokesman.
“There were indications that quite a number of the terrorists’ key leaders have either been killed or wounded,” army spokesman Brigadier-General Sani Usman said earlier Thursday, without naming Shekau.