The Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Lucky Irabor, has declared that the real leader of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, has long been killed in a gun duel by troops of the Nigerian Army.
Irabor said that the outlawed group, in an apparent desperation to cover-up the killing of their leader by Nigerian troops, decided to project different persons as Shekau, the arrow head of the sect.
He added that the military had continued to succeed in decapitating the sect by killing all its successive leaders in battle.
The theatre commander disclosed this in Yola during his familiarisation tour of Adamawa State, stressing that the days of insurgency groups in the Northeast of the country had been numbered.
”My Command troops are on top of the situation with a renewed vigour and determination to liberate the entire Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram.
“I can tell you authoritatively that we have killed the authentic leader of the Boko Haram sect. We even showed his lifeless body to the world. Therefore, Shekau is dead as dodo.
“All the Shekaus, including the original Shekau have been killed while the current impostor, parading himself as Shekau, was injured in the recent encounter with my men and officers.
“We have had series of Shekaus who have been killed and I can confirm to you that, the original Shekau was actually killed, the second Shekau was killed, that I can also confirm to you that, “the man who now presents himself as Shekau has been badly hit a few weeks back, he was wounded by Air Force personnel. I am yet to confirm whether, he is dead or not,” he added.
Irabor noted that the current division within the Boko Haram sect was proof that the sustained military clampdown on the insurgents had brought them under pressure and strained their cohesion, as those who have felt the heat were now on the verge of surrendering.
He lamented that though few border towns in Borno State were still being occupied by the dreaded sect, he assured of a total liberation as the troubled areas would soon be taken over by his troops.
“There are few border towns and villages in Borno State in which this outlawed sect members are still hiding, but I can tell you categorically that there is no territory of this nation that has been annexed by the Boko Haram sect. Very soon we will crush them from Sambiza forest. Our men are working hard towards this end.
“All hands are on deck, this battle should not be left in the hands of security men alone; anybody who notices a strange movement within these areas should immediately inform security agents in time” he said.
The theatre commander assured that the military would not rest till insurgency was crushed, noting that troops had conducted land and air raids to reduce Boko Haram strength.
“Our mandate is to defend our fatherland and we will do anything humanly possible to carry out our constitutional responsibility till the last Boko Haram surrenders,” he said.
General Irabor disclosed that the entire Adamawa, Yobe and Borno States had been liberated, explaining that no territory of the nation was presently being annexed by militants.
Clearing the air on alleged human rights abuse perpetrated by the Nigerian troops, he said that the Army was guided by the rule of engagement in its operations.
“We are professionals who are bound by the rule of engagement. Even when Boko Haram killed our soldiers and we arrested some of them, we did not resolve to jungle rule but we took them to the law court”.
He called on Nigerians to disregard rumour that Chad Republic had been hiding members of the group.
“We are in good relationship with Chad government; we have carried out series of joint raids with a view to dislodging the out-lawed sect,” he said.
He stressed that the major task of Operation Lafiya Dole was the liberation of the abducted Chibok girls, adding that the demand to swap the captured Boko Haram militants with the girls would not stop the military from carrying out its duty.
“The President as the Commander in Chief has the right to swap the Chibok girls with the outlawed sect, but the fact still remains that the military will get rid of the blood-sucking terrorists from the nation’s territories” he said.
