Shekau has not been
seen on video since February and until an audio message last month had not spoken
since March, when he proclaimed Boko Haram’s allegiance to the so-called
Islamic State group.
His
absence sparked fresh rumours about whether he was still alive or had been
deposed as leader, with other videos this year fronted by an unknown rebel under
the name Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Shekau
said in a 25-minute recording in Hausa and Arabic via social media: “They (the
military) lied that they have confiscated our arms, that we have been chased
out of our territories, that we are in disarray.
“We
are alive, I am alive, this is my voice, more audible than it was before. This
is Shekau.”
He
added: “Buhari is a liar and has deceived you. The army spokesman is also
lying. He and his footsoldiers always run helter-skelter whenever we come face
to face with them…
“Buhari,
you once claimed that you will crush us in three months. How can you crush us?”
Shekau
directly refers to IS group leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, to whom he says he is
“loyal and subservient”.
He
also namechecks IS spokesman Abu-Mohammed al-Adnani and sends “greetings to the
faithful in Yemen”, where there is also an IS “affiliate”.
There
was no indication of where or when the recording was made but it appears to
have have been in recent days.
Shekau
talks of Buhari’s “deal with Hollande”, referring to the Nigerian president’s
three-day visit to Paris earlier this week, which included talks with his
French counterpart Francois Hollande.
He
also dismissed as untrue Buhari’s comments about “our brethren in prison”.
Buhari
this week said the Nigerian authorities were talking to Boko Haram prisoners in
their custody and could offer them amnesty if the group hands over more than
200 schoolgirls abducted last year.
- Vanguard
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