Wife of Boko Haram leader reported killed in air strike, Nigerian military says

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Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in a still image from a 2014 video released by the Islamist group. Photo: AP

Published: 12:33pm, 26 Oct 2017Updated: 12:33pm, 26 Oct 2017

The Nigerian military on Wednesday said it was investigating reports that a recent bombing raid killed one of the wives of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

Fighter jets attacked what was said to be “a large gathering of Boko Haram terrorists” at the Durwawa settlement, near Urga in the Konduga area of Borno state on October 19.

The bombing killed jihadists on the ground and triggered a fire, air force spokesman Air Commodore Olatokunbo Adesanya said in an emailed statement.

“Efforts are ongoing to confirm the reported killing of Shekau’s wife, alongside other BHTs (Boko Haram terrorists),” he added.

The woman was identified only as Mallama Fitdasi. Mallama is an honorific in Hausa that translates as “madam”.

A screengrab taken on October 2, 2014 from a video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram shows the group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, delivering a speech. Photo: Agence France-Presse

Adesanya said Fitdasi was “reported to have been representing her husband in a coordinating meeting with other terrorists at the location of the air strikes”.

Shekau, a shadowy leader known for his lengthy, wild-eyed video messages, took over the group in 2009 after the death in custody of its founder, Muhammad Yusuf.