Boko Haram Kingpin in Nigerian Military Dragnet?

Strong rumours have it that Abubakar Shekau of the dreaded Boko Haram sect may have been nabbed by Nigerian troops as an investigation is underway to confirm his identity.

 The Nigerian military has said it is yet to confirm the speculation over an arrest of Boko Haram kingpin popularly known as Bashir Sarkin Yanka, which, in Hausa, means Bashir the King of Slaughter and who had been acting as Abubakar Shekau in some videos on the social media, according to the Vanguard.

Local security volunteer group known as Civilian JTF in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State claimed that it had arrested the notorious Boko Haram kingpin. The arrested suspect was reported to have confessed to the Civilian JTF that he had acted as Boko Haram leader, Shekau, in some videos and was responsible for the death of his (Bashir’s) mother, two sisters and brother apart from engaging in mass slaughter.

However, spokesperson of Operation Lafiya Dole in the North-East, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, said the military could not confirm the arrest of the Shekau’s actor yet.

 He said the military had sustained its counter-insurgency operations where some terrorists had been eliminated and others apprehended in the North-East.

Alonge said: “As you are aware, the Nigerian military has succeeded in routing out terrorists from some of their hideouts in the North-East, and, in the process, some were eliminated and others had been arrested.

“We cannot at the moment provide the identities of those in our custody or in other places until after we have conducted thorough investigations,” he said.

Speaking further, he said the military arrested two suspects, Audu Umar and Hassan Umar for smuggling themselves among the Internally Displaced People (IDPs) brought from Pulka to Gwoza IDPs Camp in Borno State.

He said the male suspects who gave their names as Audu Umar and Hassan Umar were undergoing interrogation by the military and intelligence operatives.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)