LAST Sunday’s new Boko Haram propaganda video and the response of the Nigerian Army to its vainglorious contents are a culmination of the transmutation of Abubakar Shekau, the infamous leader of the murderous sect, that began in 2013. Frustrated by Boko Haram’s endless video messages designed to embolden its militants and discourage law-abiding Nigerians groaning over the thousands killed by the sect and the abduction of 219 Chibok, Borno State, schoolgirls, the army kick-started his transmutation in 2013 by first proclaiming him dead, complete with photographs and birthmarks and how he was ambushed. But following widespread scepticism, much of it gingered by foreign intelligence services’ information, the army then had him wounded, then dead again, with any look-alike described as an impersonator or impostor, then fatally injured in the shoulder, and now mentally sick. No one, let alone a common felon, has had to endure such a remarkable three-year transmutation in one lifetime.
In the rambling September 25 video, which was a response to army claims he had been killed once again, Mallam Shekau fulminated: “You have been spreading in the social media that you injured or killed me…Oh tyrants, I’m in a happy state, in good health and in safety…People of Nigeria, Buhari and his wife, Idris Derby who has a goat eye, and people of Niger and the whole world. I’m fine now but once my time is up, you won’t see me again…You should all prepare with all your armed forces, even with our own John Kerry of U.S. They should all prepare with Ban Ki-moon also.” By suggesting he was ‘fine now’ the terror merchant all but indicated he had been previously injured, and that perhaps the army was right to announce that many of his commanders had been killed.
But never one to let Mallam Shekau go unchallenged, the army, through its spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, responded thus: “The Nigerian Army wishes to assure the public that they should not be bothered by the contents of the video clip. This is because the facts on the ground speak for themselves. It is public knowledge that the military has been making concerted efforts to clear the remnants of the terrorists and rescue all persons held hostage by them, especially the abducted Chibok Secondary School girls. This is a task that will be accomplished, no matter how long it takes…The video has further shown that he has derailed and no longer believes and practices the Islam he professes to follow; as he was absent at the last Eid prayers video. It is equally reported that he could not even lead prayers. The public should not be fooled by this individual.”
It is obvious Mallam Shekau has suffered terrible reverses, and his sect is critically degraded and even now divided. Nevertheless, he is still alive, and even managed to goad the army into acknowledging he is after all not dead, but only mentally unstable. The army is right to ask the public to ignore the desperate Boko Haram leader, but declaiming upon his mental state is another controversy that is unlikely to be settled anytime soon. In any case, there is hardly any terrorist, not to talk of the bloodthirsty Mallam Shekau, who is not insane. What matters to such psychopaths is not their mental health, which they dispute, nor the justness or otherwise of their cause, which they swear by, but the simple, uncomplicated and often verifiable fact that they are alive.
It would be a great plus for the army should Mallam Shekau be captured alive. That should be the army’s preoccupation. It would demoralise the sect, whose ranks are already depleted, and encourage an already hopeful country waiting both for the cessation of the needless conflict and the rescue of the Chibok schoolgirls. The army should stop speculating about Mallam Shekau’s death, since their speculations have often been spectacularly misplaced. They should in fact instead make it their priority to capture him alive rather than want or wish him dead. For, in addition to discouraging the sect and providing useful intel for the counter-insurgency operations, his capture is more satisfying than his death. A new and more vicious leader would simply step into his shoes should he be killed, as the extrajudicial murder of the founding leader of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf, showed.
By changing its priority from killing Mallam Shekau to capturing him, the army is unlikely to make the same mistake it had made in the past three years or so. Working secretly to capture him will not admit of error once that objective is realised. Let the army quit speculating about the Boko Haram leader’s death or mental health, for whenever they get their guesses wrong, the army is ridiculed, especially by the object of that speculation.
