Nigeria’s military on Saturday claimed further gains in its
counter-offensive against Boko Haram, but the group’s shadowy leader Abubakar
Shekau dismissed the talk of success as “lies”.
Shekau has not been seen on video since February and until
an audio message last month had not spoken since March, when he proclaimed Boko
Haram’s allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group.
His absence sparked fresh rumours about whether he was still
alive or had been deposed as leader, with other videos this year fronted by an
unknown rebel under the name Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Shekau said in a 25-minute recording in Hausa and Arabic via
social media: “They (the military) lied that they have confiscated our arms,
that we have been chased out of our territories, that we are in disarray.
“We are alive, I am alive, this is my voice, more audible
than it was before. This is Shekau.”
He added: “Buhari is a liar and has deceived you. The army
spokesman is also lying. He and his footsoldiers always run helter-skelter
whenever we come face to face with them…
“Buhari, you once claimed that you will crush us in three
months. How can you crush us?”
Shekau directly refers to IS group leader Abu Bakr
Al-Baghdadi, to whom he says he is “loyal and subservient”.
He also namechecks IS spokesman Abu-Mohammed al-Adnani and
sends “greetings to the faithful in Yemen”, where there is also an IS
“affiliate”.
There was no indication of where or when the recording was
made but it appears to have have been in recent days.
Shekau talks of Buhari’s “deal with Hollande”, referring to
the Nigerian president’s three-day visit to Paris earlier this week, which
included talks with his French counterpart Francois Hollande.
He also dismissed as untrue Buhari’s comments about “our
brethren in prison”.
Buhari this week said the Nigerian authorities were talking
to Boko Haram prisoners in their custody and could offer them amnesty if the
group hands over more than 200 schoolgirls abducted last year.
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