Ahmad Salkida, a journalist known to have access to the leadership of the Boko Haram insurgent group, says the words of Abubakar Shekau, leader of the sect, in his latest video, should not be interpreted to mean that the sect has been completely defeated. Shekau had said in the video that he was tired and wanted to die because of the calamity that has befallen his sect.
"My name is Abubakar Shekau, the one that is an invincible enemy that you are fighting. That is our stand. I am tired of this calamity; it is better I die and go to rest in paradise,” Shekau had said.vBut Salkida took to Twitter to say if Shekau’s words are taken literally, “then we are still VERY ignorant of the group’s corrosive ideology, which is, ‘to kill or be killed.’”According to him, Shekau hast trained thousands of men and women that may pose more danger than the sect leader.
He said though Shekau remains the “face” of the sect, he is “no longer the driver of it”.“If we consider one of Shekau’s lines in his last video literally, that he is tired of being around and would prefer death than this life, as a sign of complete defeat, then we are still VERY ignorant of the group’s corrosive ideology, which is, ‘to kill or be killed’,” the tweet read. "Shekau has groomed men & women in their 1000’s that even he can no longer keep in line, many within the network see him as an obstacle to what they would have accomplished if he was gone long ago.
"No doubt, he remains the face of the insurgency, but no longer the driver of it. Salkida further said the insurgency has transcended beyond the borders of Nigeria, adding that the country may not be able to totally combat it if its “doors are wide open”.He suggested that the federal government should invest more in intelligence, fight poverty, and employ regional support. He said if those factors are not taken into consideration, then, "the road ahead is long and arduous.”
"The insurgency today has developed beyond Nigeria, the stakes, the actors, are becoming multinational. The #LakeChad region & the #Sahel is being reset to become the new global terror fields & poverty, climate change & secessionism in the region support this Jihadi quest,” Salkida said.“Today, we have the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati Wal-Jihad, known as Boko Haram that is metamorphosing to #ISWAP that harbour wider regional ambitions. #ISWAP’s desire to be entrenched in the region precedes the other faction’s obsession for photo Ops.
"No doubt, Nigeria recently stood on its feet to push back the insurgency, but it did that unintelligently, you can’t drive off flies from your room when your doors are wide open. You can’t take away guns & ignore the motivations for violence. The way out of this is as follows:“Strong and uncompromising regional efforts, is missing. Investment in intelligence same as hardware, this is missing. Improve good governance that fights poverty, climate change and support education, this is likewise lacking. Therefore, the road ahead is long and arduous.”
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