Dead Boko Haram Leader Reappears In New Video, Dismisses Rumors Of His Own Death

It was on September 22 that The Inquisitr reported about the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekhau. Back then, it was revealed that the Boko Haram leader was killed in a bombing campaign. The Cameroon army which claimed the killing also published a photograph of a dead man who resembled Shekau.

A little over two weeks later, The Independent reports that the supposedly “dead” Boko Haram leader is alive and kicking. The report talks about the surfacing of a video clip that allegedly shows the dead Abubakar Shekhau mocking the Nigerian government and dismissing rumors about his own death.

In the video, a man is seen shooting an anti-aircraft gun in to the air while he chants “Allah Hu Akbar.” The video also shows the man surrounded by other Boko Haram fighters mocking the Nigerian government as well as the country’s military establishment. According to Reuters, the video emerged less than 24 hours ago and is likely authentic.

In the video, the man says, “Here I am alive, you talk so much about your killing of me but that is not the point, we are still in our Islamic caliphate, reigning, we are doing the teachings of the Qu’ran.”

While the other fighters in the video have their heads and faces covered with a mask, the Boko Haram leader Shekhau doesn’t seem to worry about revealing his identity or his face – adding to his brazenness.

All said, there is still uncertainty regarding the authenticity of the video. According to a report by GBC Ghana, the man shown in the video is in all likelihood the Boko Haram leader, citing a Nigerian journalist who has good contacts within Boko Haram. A tweet by the journalist says “on authority that Shekau is well and alive.”

Nevertheless, if the dead Boko Haram leader’s appearance is verified to be true, it would be yet another embarrassment for the military coalition that is fighting the Boko Haram group which has terrorized several African countries.

[Image Via YouTube]