Earlier today, we reported that Boko Haram leader Shekau released a new video via AFP claiming he's still alive and promised more bombings. You can read that here.
However, Nigerian Military have released a new statement dismissing claims that Shekau (or his clone) is alive, claiming that the purported video is a fake.
The Nigerian Military Defence insists that Shekau was killed in Konduga and the video was just Shekau's usual taunt when he was still alive. Read the full statement after the cut..
“The Defence Headquarters is studying the claims made in the video purportedly released by the terrorists showing their leader Abubakar Shekau as dismissing his death. From immediate observation and what some online news outlets claimed to have seen, the video did not indicate when it was shot neither did it show any proof of life or currency such as screen time or date.
The video also did not make any reference to anything that has happened since the impostor’s reported death.
It is also noteworthy that the air plane said to be mentioned in the video had been missing before he was killed. It should not surprise anybody if the terrorists decide to manipulate pictures, clone another Shekau or upload a pre-recorded video all in a bid to prove invincible.
As far as we are concerned, the individual who was appearing in video and claiming to be the leader of the terrorist group was killed in the Kondunga battle in September. The resemblance of the corpse and that of the eccentric character was incontrovertible. His identity was equally corroborated by people who knew him before we announced his death.
So, while waiting to see the new video before any further statement, our message to them is that justice will be served to whoever bears that name or designation and whoever engages in act.”
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