The leader of Boko Haram,
Abubakar Shekau has been confirmed dead by the Nigerian military after he
was reportedly killed in Konduga, Borno state.
However, the news of his supposed
death has been met with skepticism from some quarters especially since this is
the second time that reports of his demise have arisen.
It is the hope of many that Shekau’s
death would mean the end of Boko haram but here are 5 reasons why that might
not necessarily be so:
"Shekau" is now a brand
name
After Abubakar Shekau's alleged
death last year, it is believed that another man took his place and assumed the
same name. According to Reuters, Nigerian Defence Spokesperson, Major-General
Chris Olukolade said:
"The name Shekau has become a
brand name for the terrorists' leader,"
The first “Shekau” was subdued and
had a slimmer face than the second one who was outspoken and laughed like a
maniac.
Boko Haram is bigger than one man
According to Ben Payton,
senior Africa analyst at UK-based risk consultancy Maplecroft:
"Even if Shekau has been killed
... Boko Haram is much bigger than one individual. It has multiple units that
operate with a fair degree of autonomy,"
This position is emphasized by the
fact that the death of the first “Shekau” didn’t stop the sect.
Wealthy Sponsors
Boko Haram members possess
sophisticated weapons and indications show that the sect is heavily funded
after being declared the 7th richest
terrorist group in the world.
As long as the money doesn’t stop
flowing, the death of Abubakar Shekau is not likely to stop the activities of
the sect.
Different factions
There have been widespread beliefs
that Boko Haram has split into different factions. If this is the case, then
the death of one factional leader will not slow down the others.
According to one report, many experts think that the terrorist group is split
off into as many as six separate factions.'
The violence hasn’t stopped
Despite the news that Shekau has
been killed, the violence being unleashed by Boko Haram in the north hasn’t
stopped.
Residents of the troubled areas and
military personnel alike have expressed fears that the last hasn’t been heard
of Boko Haram.
A retired military officer told the
Sun Newspaper:
It is not yet Uhuru,” “We may be
jubilating now that the Boko Haram crisis is going but from their antecedents,
they may prove to be deadlier in the next phase of their terror campaigns
except our military and all Nigerians unite to fight this battle to the end,”
Rev. Father Gideon Osagie of the
Directorate of Social Communication of the Catholic Church, Maiduguri Diocese,
also said:
“I’m not a pessimist but I can say
from past activities of Boko Haram, that there is yet no light in the dark
tunnel. I suspect there may even be more Shekaus among the Boko Haram
commanders.
The cleric also added that the last
time it was alleged that Shekau had been killed, the sect responded with
deadlier attacks.
5 Reasons Why Shekau’s Death Doesn't Really Matter
Reviewed by getitrightnigerians
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