The Nigerian Army on Thursday last week placed a N3 million bounty on Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, and urged Nigerians to help with information that could lead to the arrest of the ‘fugitive’. SADIQ ABUBAKAR spoke to Maiduguri residents on the development
Alive or dead
Last weekend the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, charged the Nigerian troops fighting Boko Harm insurgents to capture Abubakar Shekau, the factional leader of the Boko Haram terrorists group, alive or dead.
Buratai, gave the charge at Camp Zairo, in the Sambisa forest during an operational visit to troops.
It will be recalled that in 2017, the Chief of Army Staff gave troops a 40-day ultimatum to capture Shekau.
Troops finally destroyed the camp in January in an operation tagged “Deep Punch II’’ and are now dominating the general area of the forest.
The military reportedly sacked Shekau from the camp in December, 2016 but the terrorists later re-grouped to launch pockets of attacks.
Buratai said: “Let me say congratulations. But, we must move across to wherever this criminal – Shekau is and catch him red handed. I want you to get him.
“Mr President, Command-In-Chief of the Armed Forces says congratulations to all of you for recovering the Sambisa Forest.
“As far as we are concern, we have come to the end of this operation (clearing the forest of remnants of terrorists).
“What is remaining now is the Lake Chad waters only and we hope to do that (clear terrorists from it) also very soon.
“Meanwhile, you all know these criminals are still on the run; these guys are on the run, you must make sure that you get them wherever they are around this area.
“You must not allow them to escape. Every day, you must go on patrol, lay ambush for them and you go on raids.
“This is the time we have to consolidate and ensure that this place – Sambisa forest, is safe and never for these criminals to come back to it’’.
Capture of camp Zairo
In an interview with newsmen after the visit, Rogers Nicholas, the Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, said with the capture of Camp Zairo ”the soul and mind of Boko Haram have been broken in Sambisa forest”.
“They don’t have a place to hide. We are still going round to make sure that some of them that are hiding in holes, we intend to fish them out’’.
Alhaji Danlami Tanko, a resident of Hausari ward Maiduguri said, “the amount-cash reward placed on the BHT group leader, Abubakar Shekau, is too small, it could have been 20 million and that will not be bad”.
He said based on the magnitude of the crimes Shekau has committed and the level of devastation the BH has done on both public and private property, placing more money could prompt or influence quick response from the public.
Entice Nigerians
Adamu Kabiru, a driver shuttling Post office area and Baga, Customs area, said,” the problem is not about the information or we hear about Shekau, but for someone to come out and disclose his hiding place or arrest Shekau or his whereabouts there is need for more reward or big money to entice Nigerians to do that and many Nigerians are already in the doubt as to whether Shekau is dead or alive.
“We know the real Shekau is not dead hence, there is no need for another person or BHT group leader to come out and say he is Shekau to terrorise the public.
“The military should do something rather than just mere N3 million when the criminal can afford to offer more than N3 million to get himself hidden even in Borno or in the north without going anywhere as the military envisaged”.
Ahmed Mohammed, civil servant with Borno state government, Ministry of Works, said, “to me it is insensitive. The Nigerian Military had severally announced that the Boko Haram leader was dead.”
Bounty of 50 million naira
“And if you could remember last time Shekau and other members of the sect had bounty on their head. Shekau had a bounty of 50 million naira for any information that can lead to his arrest that time. Now the military again placed N 3 million.
“I think even if someone has the information on his whereabouts N3 million naira only seems like a joke to everyone,” Ahmed said.
Tina Daniel CPVs IPCR who was pathetic about the situation said,
Government is playing with this Issue
“I think the either the military or the government is playing with this issue. Is Shekau now more than a cat with nine lives? Because each time they say he is injured or barely escaped from death you see him resurfaced in another video. I think placing a ransom on him is a wise decision so that his manhunt will be made serious”
A media consultant based in Maiduguri, Mr. Jacob Moses said, “Go to their earlier bounty seeking for Shekau, even though it appears they are fulling all and sundry after saying that Shekau is dead since.”
Hajiya Fati Abatcha CPVs IPCR also said that, “There is a little misplacement of information elsewhere rather is a sort of connivance of intentional playing of our mind by the military”.
John Okonkwo, a business man based in Maiduguri Baga Road Maiduguri, said, this N3 million price or reward the military is now placing on the BHT leader Shekau is very small arguing that, “Shekau himself can give out more than N20 or N30 million to someone not to disclose his identity or whereabouts”.
“So, the N3 million placed by the Nigerian military is very small to influence or entice Nigerians to reveal or disclose the whereabouts of Abubakar Shekau based on the gravity and sensitivity of his offence and person, especially, RBIs sponsoring him” Okonkwo said.
Shekau is dead or alive
He suggested that something more tangible should be put forward, like N30 or N50 million, pointing out that, with this kind of incentives, Nigerians will be triggered to disclose his whereabouts or hideout that will lead to his arrest dead or alive.
Furthermore, he added that it is true that in the past the military had announced that Shekau was killed in a battle or exchange of fires and bombardment but today the same Nigerian military is placing N3 million on information about his whereabouts.
He argued that the public is confused and wonders which of the Shekaus is being wanted by the military again. “Is it Shekau number one or number two or three or four. So, the public still wonders whether Shekau is dead or alive”.
But, Abubakar Mohammed of the UMTH said ,” the name Shekau within the Boko Haram group means name not person as the group uses it as a leader’s name not person hence, the first Shekau is dead as well as the second Shekau and this present Shekau could be the third or fourth.
Shekau’s name sake?
Mohammed added that in the past the Nigerian military had announced that Shekau had been killed, so there cannot be another Shekau, except his name sake not him in person as their leader, he argued.
He maintained that a Shekau was first said to have been killed in Cameroon Republic border town two years ago, after the Ngoshe of Gwoza LGA hit or battle between the military and the insurgents, while the second was killed and the video shown to the public during the Konduga battle between the Boko Haram terrorists and soldiers. And the present Shekau must be the one attacked in Damboa, recently, and seemed to be incapacitated rolling in chair as shown on the You Tube.
So, if it is the same Shekau the troops attacked and wounded, he cannot be on the run now in a woman’s dress.”
