Lider boko haram
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Abubakar Shekau: Nigeria's Boko Haram leader is dead, say rival militants
The leader of the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has killed himself, rival Islamist militants said in an audio recording.
In audio obtained by news agencies, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) said Shekau died detonating explosives on himself after a battle between the two groups.
Shekau was reported dead last month and has been reported killed before.
Neither Boko Haram nor the Nigerian government have confirmed his death.
What did the recording say?
In the undated audio recording, a voice thought to be that of Iswap leader Abu Musab al-Barnawi said Shekau "killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive".
Iswap fighters hunted down the warlord and offered him the chance to repent and join them, al-Barnawi said.
"Shekau preferred to be humiliated in the afterlife than getting humiliated on earth," he said.
When reports of Shekau's death in a clash circulated last month, the Nigerian army said it would investigate.
Army spokesman Brig Gen Mohammed Yerima told the BBC at the time the army was looki
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Abubakar Shekau: The mastermind behind the Chibok kidnappings
Abubakar Shekau, the infamous leader of the Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram, is dead, a video published by its militants has confirmed.
Last month, a rival faction said Shekau, who masterminded the kidnapping of nearly schoolgirls in , had been killed during a confrontation with its fighters.
Boko Haram did not respond for weeks, but the BBC has now seen a video in which the militants confirm the commander is dead.
The Nigerian authorities have not commented on the news.
In the three-minute clip seen by the BBC, a man dressed in white clothes with a black turban urged his faction's followers to remain loyal to the group despite the loss of their commander.
The man speaking is said to be Boko Haram commander Bakura Modu, who analysts believe may be the group's new leader.
Global infamy
The list of atrocities that Abubakar Shekau was behind is long, but the mass kidnapping from a girls' boarding school brought him global infamy.
Having taken over Boko Haram in , Shekau turned it into a ruthless force that terrorised people in north-east Nigeria and beyond.
In ,
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Boko Haram
African jihadist organization
Not to be confused with Islamic State – West Africa Province.
Parts of this article (those related to EU and UN designation of Boko Haram as a terrorist group) need to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April ) |
| Boko Haram | |
|---|---|
The Black Standard used by Boko Haram | |
| Leaders | Mohammed Yusuf&#; (–) Abubakar Shekau&#;&#; (–) Sahalaba&#; (–) Bakura Doro (–present) |
| Dates of operation | –present |
| Group(s) | Ansaru (–) |
| Headquarters | Gwoza, Borno, Nigeria (July – March )[2] Marte, Borno, Nigeria (April–September )[3][4] Sambisa Forest, Borno, Nigeria (March – May )[2][3] Chikun, Kaduna, Nigeria (September – present)[5][6] |
| Active&#;regions | Nigeria, nordlig Cameroon, Niger, Chad, Mali[7][8] |
| Ideology | |
| Size | At least 15, (Amnesty International claimed, January )[9] 20, (Chad claimed, March )[10] 4,–6, (United States claimed, February )[11] |
| Part of | &#;Islamic State (–) |
| Allies | |
| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | |
| D
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