Abubakar Shekau…Dead Man Running

OE Watch Commentary: Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, was reported by the Nigerian army to be on the run. According to the accompanying excerpted article, the military based their assessment of Shekau on information provided by surrendered insurgents. Additional intelligence supposedly revealed that he could not withstand the pressure from the counterinsurgency campaign the Nigerian government has been conducting against his Sambisa Forest hideout, and that he disguised himself as a woman using various hijabs to facilitate his escape.

While Shekau abandoning his fighters would be welcome news by the many Nigerians Boko Haram has terrorized over the years, it must be remembered that there have also been repeated reports of his death. The earliest one was in 2009, the same year he assumed leadership of Boko Haram following the execution of its founder, Mohammed Yusuf. Shekau however, surfaced in a July 2010 video, dispelling the earlier reports of his demise. Over the years there were repeated claims of his being killed, only to have him reappear in videos, claiming how he enjoyed orchestrating an attack that took 180 lives, or laughing after abducting over 200 girls in Chibok, an action that received worldwide attention.

Some Nigerian media claim he was killed and that imposters have taken his place. His supposed use of body doubles just adds to the confusion. The Nigerian military has not helped the situation, earlier announcing he was dead, and now saying he has run off because he could not deal with the sustained tempo of fighting. Dead or furtive fugitive, he cannot be both.

To be sure, there has definitely been progress against Boko Haram in Nigeria, with the armed forces, through Operation Deep Punch II. The operation cleared terrorists from large areas of Sambisa Forest, including Camp Zairo, which served as Boko Haram’s headquarters. After that successful operation, the Nigerian military declared the terrorist organization defeated, but a surge of attacks by the group has, like Shekau’s reappearances, cast doubt on the government.

It may be true that Shekau fled the fighting, disguised as a woman and reportedly alternating the colors of his hijab between black and blue, however, probably no one would be surprised to see this brutal and violent terrorist fight again. After all, not even his own death seems to stop him. End OE Watch Commentary (Feldman)