Leader of the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lid Da’awati Wal Jihad Abubakar Shekau claims through a video released yesterday that soldiers have fled during an ongoing military offensive and insurgents only sustained little damage.
This is the first public appearance of Shekau since the start of a sweeping offensive by the military on May 15 against the Boko Haram insurgency.
From this video, Shekau’s whereabouts could not be determined, this is because all that was visible was he seated while dressed in camouflage with a turban, an AK-47 at his side.
His comments contradict statements from the military, which has claimed major successes during the offensive, including the destruction of Boko Haram camps and dozens of arrests.
It is impossible to verify the claims of either side independently, with the military still placing an embargo on mobile phone service in much of the country’s northeast and access to remote locations restricted.
“Since we started this ongoing war which they call state of emergency … in some instances soldiers who faced us turned and ran,” Shekau said in the hour-long video.
He claimed Nigerian forces “threw down their arms in flight.”
He called on like-minded Islamists in countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq to join the fight to create an Islamic state in Nigeria.
“We call to us our brethren in these countries I mentioned. Oh! Our brethren, come to us,” he said in the video, which alternates between Arabic and the Hausa language spoken across northern Nigeria.
The video later purports to show vehicles and weapons seized from Nigerian soldiers.
Shekau said Boko Haram “will not stop the kidnap of your women and children until you set free our women and children, and our brethren.” He also says Boko Haram’s goal is either the creation of an Islamic state or “martyrdom”.
The video was delivered to AFP though an intermediary in a manner similar to previous Boko Haram messages. The images of Shekau in the video are consistent with those previously released.
Troops launched the offensive against Boko Haram after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Several thousand troops were deployed and fighter jets hit alleged Boko Haram camps.
On May 20, the military said it had re-established control in five remote areas of the northeast where Islamist insurgents had seized territory. It had also claimed the arrests of 120 suspected insurgents.
The military’s statement on Monday says 25 insurgents were arrested and three killed during operations at the weekend, including one identified as “Abba” included on a most-wanted list. One soldier was also killed, it said.
“Troops of the special forces have intercepted messages sent to fleeing insurgents urging them not to give up but fight to the end,” the statement said.
“The attempt by some of them to heed the call was foiled during the weekend as they were trailed to some settlements and towns towards the border where they plan to regroup.”
Last week, the military also said it had freed three women and six children abducted by Boko Haram.