Mr. Salkida’s tweet appeared to confirm that the
Boko Haram “officer” killed by Nigerian soldiers in
Konduga was a different person from Mr. Shekau.
In fact, Nigerian security officials have maintained
for months that Mr. Shekau was dead, apparently
killed by his own disaffected lieutenants in an
internal rivalry for control of the terrorist
organization.
A hmed Salkida, a Dubai-based Nigerian journalist
who reportedly maintains communication with
some leaders of the Islamist insurgent group Boko
Haram, claimed today that the sect’s leader,
Abubakar Shekau, is alive and well. Mr. Salkida
denied reports asserting that Nigerian troops had
killed the mercurial and fiendish Shekau, the
speaker and voice in numerous videos released by
Boko Haram.
In a tweet earlier today, Mr. Salkida also
dismissed media reports that the Nigerian
government was negotiating with Boko Haram for
the release of more than 200 schoolgirls
kidnapped in mid-April by Boko Haram militants
in Chibok, Borno State. The reporter’s tweet also
described as untrue reports that the International
Red Cross (IRC) was working on a deal that
would persuade Boko Haram to free the abducted
Chibok schoolgirls in exchange for the release of
detained Islamist insurgents in the custody of
Nigerian security agencies.

Mark my words: There is NO negotiation
either by the @ICRC or any negotiator on
the release of #chibokgirls with #BH Shura
as I write this
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida)
September 22, 2014

Earlier today, SaharaReporters had published a
report to the effect that a Nigerian intelligence
source revealed that the person whose dead body
is seen in photos circulating in news reports was
not Shekau but one “Mohammed Bashir”.
Our intelligence source stated that the dead
Islamist figure, who bore a striking semblance to
Mr. Shekau, was indeed a look-alike who
appeared in videos released by the Islamist sect.
Mr. Salkida’s tweet appeared to confirm that the
Boko Haram “officer” killed by Nigerian soldiers in
Konduga was a different person from Mr. Shekau.
In fact, Nigerian security officials have maintained
for months that Mr. Shekau was dead, apparently
killed by his own disaffected lieutenants in an
internal rivalry for control of the terrorist
organization.

Mark my words: I have it on authority that
Shekau is well & alive, the picture going
round is NOT the person who torments us
with his group
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida)
September 22, 2014

However, Salkida sent out another tweet today
which appeared to cast doubt on the fact that
Shekau indeed had a double.

So Shekau has a double? So it was his
double I met during the failed attempt to
negotiate an end to the plight of #
chibokgirls? Oh #Nigeria
— Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida)
September 22, 2014

A confidential debriefing document by the
Nigerian army obtained last week by
SaharaReporters also acknowledged that Mr.
Shekau stayed permanently in his holdout in
Sambisa Forest and was not in the habit of
venturing out to battles. Item “R” of the
document stated, ”Shekau has his wife and 2
children in Sambisa Forest. He is Kanuri, he
speaks Hausa and he does not travel.”
Meanwhile, a Nigerian security source told
SaharaReporters that there was evidence of a
growing frustration among insurgent fighters and
a simmering power struggle between some of the
sect’s top figures. He disclosed that some of the
insurgents who surrendered to Nigerian troops
last week in Konduga have told army
interrogators that they decided to give up after
their commander executed two of their leaders
who led the failed attack on Konduga. The source
told SaharaReporters that the insurgents, who are
being kept in one of the barracks in Maiduguri,
told interrogators that they fled from a camp near
Bama after their commander shot dead two
insurgent field officers “for losing valuable
weapons to infidels.” He added that the
surrendering militants claimed they were reluctant
and small-time fighters who were recently
recruited from towns and villagers taken by Boko
Haram.
The insurgents’ foiled attempt to seize Konduga,
which was a first step in their plan to attack the
Borno State capital, Maiduguri, is being seen as a
possible turning point in the war between the
insurgents and increasingly confident Nigerian
soldiers. Nigerian troops killed hundreds of
insurgents in the battle for Konduga and also
seized an armored tank and several vehicles from
the Boko Haram fighters. Incidentally, Boko
Haram insurgents had originally captured thetank
and vehicles from the Nigerian army in previous
battles.
For close to two weeks, the insurgents have not
been able to reproduce their earlier streak of
victories over Nigerian troops. Instead, they have
been routed in Konduga and driven out of Baza in
Adamawa State.

God grant our armed forces victory against these sons of pigs called boko haram

Oro po ninu iwe kobo kan