Notorious Boko Haram leader, Shekau is dead

Ferocious leader of Boko Haram terrorist group, Abubakar Shekau is dead, Top Naija reports.

The demise of Shekau occurred on Wednesday evening after the attack of the terror group’s stronghold in the Sambisa forest area by a support of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters.

ISWAP, which had detached from the Shekau-led Boko Haram group in 2016 after pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, raided the hideout of the group utilising several gun vehicles.

The territory of the Boko Haram leader was tracked down by ISWAP using its forces stationed at the Timbuktu Triangle. His fighters were murdered in the process, followed by a long gunfire exchange between the attacking group and Shekau’s bodyguards.

Top Naija learnt that after his bodyguards were subdued, Shekau surrendered and engaged in an hours-long meeting with the ISWAP fighters.

During the meeting, he was requested to willingly surrender power and order his fighters in other areas to declare bai’a (allegiance) to the authority of ISWAP. They had anticipated Shekau to release a statement.

Sources within the insurgency, however, stated that Shekau who secretly had a suicide vest on finally blew himself up along with everyone present during the negotiations.

The identities of the people within the leadership of ISWAP who lost their lives to the explosion remain uncertain at this time.

Shekau had been the leader of Boko Haram since 2009 after the demise of the group’s founder, Mohammed Yusuf. Before now, he had been rumoured to have been murdered at various incidents.