Boko Haram leader ‘kills himself’ in fight with rival jihadists in Nigeria – two weeks after it was reported he had died
- Boko Haram has not yet officially commented on the death of Abubakar Shekau, while the Nigerian army said it was investigating the claim
- ‘Shekau preferred to be humiliated in the hereafter to getting humiliated on Earth. He killed himself by detonating an explosive,’ a source said
Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau killed himself in a fight against rival jihadist fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) according to audio Agence France-Presse obtained from the group on Sunday, two weeks after reports emerged that he had died.
His death marks a major shift in Nigeria’s 12-year-old jihadist insurgency that has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million in the northeast.
Boko Haram has not yet officially commented on the death of their leader while the Nigerian army said it was investigating the claim.
“Shekau preferred to be humiliated in the hereafter to getting humiliated on Earth. He killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive,” said a voice resembling that of ISWAP leader Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, speaking in the Kanuri language.
The audio, which was not dated, was given to AFP by the same source who conveyed previous messages from the group.