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Abubakar Shekau

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Abubakar Shekau
Still image of Shekau from an undated video
Born1965, 1969 or 1975[1]
Shekau, Yobe State, Nigeria
AllegianceBoko Haram
(2002–2016)
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(2015–present)
Years of service2002–present
Battles / warsBoko Haram insurgency

Abu Mohammed Abubakar bin Mohammad al-Sheikawi (also known by the alias Darul Akeem wa Zamunda Tawheed, or Darul Tawheed; "the abode of monotheism"; born 1965, 1969 or 1975[1]) is a Kanuri man known as the leader of Boko Haram, a Nigerian militant group that has declared loyalty to the Islamist militant group, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).[2][3] He served as deputy leader to the group's founder, Mohammed Yusuf, until Yusuf was executed in 2009.

Nigerian authorities believed that Shekau was killed in 2009 during clashes between security forces and Boko Haram until July 2010, when Shekau appeared in a video claiming leadership of the group.[3] He has subsequently been regularly reported dead and is thought to use body doubles.[4][5][6] In March 2015, Shekau pledged allegiance to ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Shekau is a Salafi.[7] He has been described as possessing a photographic memory.[8]

Biography

Early years

Shekau was born in Shekau town, in Tarmuwa local government, Yobe state; his exact date of birth is unknown but is said to be between 1965 and 1975. Shekau is an ethnic Kanuri, and also speaks Hausa, Fulani, Arabic, and English.[9] In 1990 he moved to the Mafoni area in Maiduguri and studied under a traditional cleric before entering the Borno College of Legal and Islamic Studies (now called Mohammed Goni College of Legal and Islamic Studies). Shekau left the college for ideological reasons and without earning a degree.[10] He later met Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of Jamaat Ahlus Sunnah li Dawah wal Jihad, and became one of his deputies. Shekau was appointed the leader of the group in July 2009, after the death of Yusuf in the 2009 Boko Haram uprising. Shekau survived being shot in the leg during the 2009 attempt on his life by Nigerian security forces.[3] He is married to one of Muhammad Yusuf's four widows.[11] His nickname is “Darul Tawheed”, which translates as "specialist in tawheed", the Islamic concept of oneness of Allah.[11]

Leader of 'Boko Haram'

Shekau's leadership has not gone unchallenged. He received a letter from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb giving him advice but he did not heed it.[citation needed] As a result of his erratic leadership, in 2012 a faction of the group broke off to form Jamaat Ansar al-Muslimin fi Bilād as-Sudan (Ansaru). This faction included his military commander Abu Muhammad al-Bauchawi, and religious advisor Sheikh Abu Osama al-Ansari Muhammad Awal al-Gombawi. Despite this, many soldiers and commanders stayed with Shekau, including military commanders Abu Sa'ad al-Bamawi and Muhammad Salafi. With his group mostly intact, Shekau engaged in conflict with Ansaru, killing their leader Abu Osama al-Ansari. As a result of this, and other arrests of Ansaru leaders by the Nigerian government, Ansaru did not pose a further threat to Shekau's leadership of the jihadi movement in Nigeria, and the group became defunct by 2015.

Shekau's fellow jihadist fighters were undisciplined and abused the populations they encountered, resulting in the establishment of civilian militias such as the Civilian Joint Task Force to fight them. Shekau is also thought to have killed his own religious advisors, including Sheikh Abd al-Malek al-Ansari al-Kadunawi and Abu al-Abbas al-Bankiwani.[12]

In June 2012, the United States Department of State designated Shekau as a terrorist and effectively froze his assets in the United States.[13] Since June 2013,[14] the Department has had a standing reward of US$7 million for information leading to Shekau's capture through its Rewards for Justice program.[15] In addition, the Nigerian army has offered a ₦50 million reward (approximately US$300,000) for Shekau.[16]

In videos Shekau posted online, he boasted often about his invincibility; mocked various armies; and stated that he "cannot be stopped" and "cannot die except by the will of Allah". He has also boasted of being in possession of armoured tanks and other combat vehicles.[17] His online videos frequently depict anti-American rhetoric, and he has made multiple threats to attack the U.S.[18]

In one prominent incident, he took credit for the kidnapping of over 200 school girls in April 2014.[19] Shekau also announced that the kidnapped girls have been converted to Islam.[20] He has claimed to be waging a jihad against Christianity.[21]

With the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during 2014 and 2015, Shekau faced pressure from his commanders and soldiers to pledge his allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. A history of the group says that Shekau "was compelled to give allegiance, and that was through a coming together of the military commanders, and after he became convinced that the matter was about to go out of his hand, and that his throne would be shaken and emptied of him if he did not give allegiance". In August 2016, ISIL appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the leader of the group in place of Shekau.[22] Shekau refused to recognise Barnawi's authority and split off part of the group under its original name of Jamaat Ahlus Sunnah li Dawah wal Jihad, while Barnawi lead the Islamic State's West African province.[23] While Shekau continues to lead his group, he has only 1,500 soldiers, whereas Barnawi has 3,500.[24] Shekau has been widely denounced as following the ideology of the Khawarij by the Islamic State and West Africa province in Nigeria.

Following the split, many clashes occurred between Shekau and Barnawi's soldiers throughout the month of August and the following months. On 12 September 2016, 30 of Shekau's soldiers were killed and 40 captured by IS-West Africa. In October 2016, Shekau's soldiers attacked the Karino area south of Lake Chad with 350 men seizing the village of Tunubuma. Then Barnawi's soldiers counter-attacked, killing more than 75, including the leader Muhammad Bakr.[citation needed]

Reports of death

Shekau was reported killed in 2009 but reappeared as the group leader less than a year later.[25] The Nigerian army in mid-August 2013 stated that he was fatally wounded when soldiers raided a base of Boko Haram in Sambisa forest and had died between 25 July and 3 August.[26] However, a video in September 2013 was released in which a man purported to be Shekau claimed he had not been killed.[27] The Nigerian army also stated to have killed him during the 2014 Battle of Kodunga that lasted from September 12 to 14th.[28] The Cameroonian military posted a photo[29] and also claimed that their forces killed Shekau in September 2014.[30][31][32] In response to these reports, security analyst Ryan Cummings commented, "Is this his fourth or fifth death? He dies more often than an iPhone battery."[29] In early October 2014, a video was obtained by AFP news agency that showed Shekau alive, in which he mocked the Nigerian military's allegations that he had been killed.[33][34]

Chadian President, Idriss Déby claimed in mid-August 2015 that Shekau had been replaced by Mahamat Daoud without exactly specifying his fate.[35] An audio message attributed to Shekau was released a few days later, in which he purportedly stated that he had neither been killed nor ousted as chief of the group.[36]

Shekau was reported to have been "fatally wounded" during an airstrike in Taye village on 19 August 2016 by Nigerian Air Force which also killed some senior leaders of Boko Haram.[37][38] On 25 September, a video of a man purported to be Shekau was released on YouTube, in which he claimed that he was alive and in good health.[39]

On 27 June 2017, Shekau released a video in which he claimed responsibility for the abduction of Nigerian policewomen and criticized the Nigerian government for claiming that Boko Haram had been defeated.[40] This video would seem to be further evidence of Shekau's continued survival. In February 2020, Shekau released a video threatening the minister of information and digital economy, Isa Ali Pantami, and making reference to what was done to islamic scholar Ja'afar Mahmud Adam in Maiduguri when he preached against Boko Haram.[41]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Rewards for Justice - Wanted". www.rewardsforjustice.net. Retrieved 2016-01-06.
  2. ^ Brock, Joe (2012-01-12). "Nigeria sect leader defends killings in video". Reuters Africa. Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  3. ^ a b c Jacinto, Leela (2012-01-13). "The Boko Haram terror chief who came back from the dead". France 24. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
  4. ^ "Boko Haram militant leader is dead, Nigerian military says". France 24. 2014-09-25. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  5. ^ "Nigeria army claims death of Boko Haram leader". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  6. ^ Akinyelure, Didi (2016-09-27). "Dead or alive? The six lives of Boko Haram's leader". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  7. ^ Collective Mobilisations in Africa / Mobilisations collectives en Afrique: Enough is Enough! / Ça suffit!. BRILL. 2015-06-01. p. 338. ISBN 9789004300002.
  8. ^ "Nigeria's Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in profile". BBC News. 9 May 2014.
  9. ^ BBC: "Nigeria's Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in profile" 9 May 2014
  10. ^ https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/curbing-violence-in-nigeria-II-the-boko-haram-insurgency.pdf
  11. ^ a b "Profile of Nigeria's Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau". BBC News. 22 June 2012.
  12. ^ http://www.aymennjawad.org/21467/the-islamic-state-west-africa-province-vs-abu
  13. ^ "Boko Haram leaders are designated as terrorists by US". BBC News. June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  14. ^ "Rewards for Justice - First Reward Offers for Terrorists in West Africa". U.S. Department of State. June 3, 2013.
  15. ^ "Rewards for Justice profile". Rewardsforjustice.net. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  16. ^ "Nigeria army offers $1.8 mln reward for Boko Haram leaders". Reuters. November 24, 2012.
  17. ^ "Boko Haram leader, believed dead, appears in new video". UPI. Sep 24, 2013.
  18. ^ Windrem, Robert (2014-05-17). "Boko Haram Leader Abubakar Shekau: the Man Who Would Be Africa's Bin Laden". NBC News. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  19. ^ Terrence McCoy (May 6, 2014). "The man behind the Nigerian girls' kidnappings and his death-defying mystique". Washington Post.
  20. ^ Boko Haram and the Future of Nigeria, by Dr. Jacques Neheriah Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
  21. ^ "Boko Haram Leader Pledges War Against Christians; Scoffs at Gays Saying Even Animals Know Better". Christianpost.com. 2014-05-16. Retrieved 2014-06-06.
  22. ^ "Boko Haram in Nigeria: Abu Musab al-Barnawi named as new leader". BBC News. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  23. ^ "Boko Haram's Shekau vows to fight IS group rival for leadership". France 24. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  24. ^ Ryan, Browne. "US warns of growing African terror threat". CNN. Retrieved 28 September 2018.
  25. ^ "Nigeria's Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in profile". BBC News. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  26. ^ "Abubakar Shekau of Nigeria's Boko Haram 'may be dead'". BBC News. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  27. ^ "Abubakar Shekau: Boko Haram chief 'shown alive' in video". BBC News. 25 September 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  28. ^ "Nigerian Army confirms death of fake Abubakar Shekau". vanguardngr.com. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  29. ^ a b "Boko Haram Leader Abubakar Shekau Reported Killed Again — This Time by Cameroon's Army". VICE News. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  30. ^ "L'armée camerounaise aurait tué le leader de Boko Haram Abubakar Shekau". African Manager. 21 September 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  31. ^ "Boko Haram fighters 'surrender' as alleged chief killed". BBC News. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  32. ^ "Military kills Abubakar Shekau 'again'". The Punch. Archived from the original on 27 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
  33. ^ "Boko Haram leader dismisses claims of his death in new video". Yahoo News. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  34. ^ "Boko Haram video shows leader alive". BBC News. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  35. ^ "Nigeria's Boko Haram militants 'have new leader'". BBC. 12 August 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  36. ^ Tony Bakate (16 August 2015). "I'm alive, says Shekau in a new audio message". The Guardian Nigeria. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  37. ^ "Nigerian air force says kills top Boko Haram militants, leader believed wounded". Reuters. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  38. ^ Abdulkareem Haruna (23 August 2016). "Nigerian military says Boko Haram leader, Shekau, wounded in deadly air strike". Premium Times. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  39. ^ "Man Claiming to be Boko Haram's Abubakar Shekau Surfaces in Video". Voice of America. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  40. ^ "Boko Haram Leader Releases Video Revealing Abduction Of Policewomen". UNCOVA. 27 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  41. ^ "Why Boko Haram leader threaten Nigeria minister - Bulama Bukarti". BBC News Pidgin. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2020-03-04.
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