The need for the Guards Brigade to reinforce security in and around
the Presidential Villa may be more compelling now as the acclaimed
‘leader’ of the Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau, has threatened to
attack President Muhammadu Buhari and other regional leaders.
In
the latest video, Shekau also vowed to attack the Chief of Army Staff
(COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, as well as the Acting Director, Army
Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman.
The latest video is
coming few days after the controversial sect leader purportedly spoke,
to refute claims that his deputy, Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, had assumed the
leadership of the local terrorist group, which had threatened the
sovereignty of the Nigerian State.
Flanked by heavily armed
fighters, Shekau referred to President Buhari and others, as “infidels”,
while challenging the military to be prepared for what he suggests, may
be the most vicious attack in the country.
He also indicated in
the video that was recorded in Arabic and Hausa languages, his plot to
extend the planned attacks to other parts of the world.
Shekau
said: “To you, President Buhari, very soon you will see us inside your
home, the presidential palace. You will hear from us right in there by
the will of God.
“Abuja will hear from us very soon. We will
demolish infidels and bring down the green white green and replace it
with our flag. And under that flag, we shall worship Allah and we shall
bring justice to all of you.
“Don’t think it is only this weapon
that
will aid us to destroy you, but Allah will assist us to do this.
Die you all in your rage. We are out to wage war on the world.”
The
re-appearance of the leader of Boko Haram at this time, no doubt,
introduces a new twist to the claim by the military, that he (Shekau)
had died over a year ago, during a counter- terrorism operation in the
North-East.
In the meantime, the seeming leadership crisis
besetting the sect has yet to abate, as Shekau reaffirmed his control
over the group, whose bloodletting campaign had resulted in the deaths
of over 15,000 people. This was as he restated his group’s allegiance to
the Islamic State (IS).
Part of the video translation reads: “This is a message from the
group of Jamaatu Ahlil sunna liddawati wal jihad in West Africa of the
Islamic caliphate to all the Jihadists of the world; especially to
Abubakar Albagdadi.
“News has recently come to us through the
media outlets, including those of the infidels. The news was that
someone has been made leader or vicegerent of our movement in West
Africa. But we are telling you that the appointed per-son has no
qualifications to become our leader. We have listened and heard from
them and their comment and how they tried to defame Ahlil Sunna wal
jamaaa and we are further convinced that such a person cannot become our
leader. And we cannot follow the one that is not of Ahlil Sunna wal
jamaaa.
“Besides, our leader, Abubakar Shekau, has sent you an
8-point message detailing why the person you appointed cannot lead
because he is one of those that are called Irjai. You (Albagdadhi) have
sent a message back to our leader asking for the meaning of Irjai, which
he explained to you and you have failed to get back to us till date….
“We
are also warning you the infidels of the West African countries that in
no distant time, you are going to be visited with a calamity from us
that will marvel you all for a long time to come. We will shock the
world very soon. Watch out for us.
“Especially, the Chief of Army
staff, General Buratai and the army spokesman, Kukasheka; we are going
to show you our strength in Nigeria. The world should know that we are
no longer out to fight Nigeria, but our battle is of the entire world.
And the battle has just begun. It is going to be a fresh battle for you
soldiers of Nigeria.”
But the Presidency said it would not dignify the group with a response.
“The
office of the president is a hallowed institution. You don’t expect
Shekau to talk and the president to be responding,” Garba Shehu, Senior
Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, said.
The
Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig.- Gen. Rabe Abubakar, and
the DAPR, did not respond to text messages sent to them and did not pick
calls to their phone lines.
Credit: TODAY
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