When the news broke, Monday, that leader of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has been killed by the Joint Military Task Force JTF; it instantly evoked a reaction of doubt. Was it actually Shekau that was killed or someone else? Such question was pertinent because there had been several rumour of his death in recent times. The curiosity to see the photograph or video clips of his bullet ridden body was punctured by the realization that video clips and pictures of Osama bin Ladin’s body was not made available for security reasons when he was killed by the US Naval Seal. President Barrack Obama, simply informed the world that Bin Laden’s body had been cast into the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean’s womb. Other details remain classified information until they are de- classified. It is also instructive that when Shekau’s second in command was killed penultimate week, the picture of his corpse was not made public. The Boko Haram Sect leaders were swathed with aura of seeming invisibility. A couple of months ago, a splinter group from the sect had claimed that Shekau had been deposed and that a new leader had been installed. This, however, turned out to be mere claim as Shekau remained fully in charge of the sect. The arrest of some of his commanders, including Kabiru Sokoto, would not yield the one who was actually calling the shot from his hide –out. Modus Operandi of Shekau-led Boko Haram suggested that it was a well organised group, with the solo aim of hitting its target when it was least expected. Violent campaigns by other insurgents which were attributed to Shekau’s faction were routinely disclaimed via press statements. Until yesterday when he was killed, the ideology of the sect was to say the least, contradictory. At inception, religious undertone was implied in its activities. Later it, however, became clear that the group has other agenda. Several ceasefires had been declared by the sect but they never lasted. Not even the amnesty committee set up by the Federal Government could placate Boko Haram. Perhaps, the killing of his second in command by the JTF was an indication that the end was near for Shekau. A monetary reward of N25 million and a more coherent intelligence efforts were all it took to take out his deputy. Now that Shekau himself has fallen, the question that pleads answer is will his eternal exit mark the end of Boko Haram? The sect, like other similar insurgent groups, is known to have mutating cells, such that when the leader is killed by whatever circumstances, there is always an able successor waiting in the wings. Since the death of Bin Laden, not much had been heard of Al-Qaeda, but there is always an abiding fear, especially in the western world, that his disciples are still around and may strike again. Will the case of Boko Haram be different? Time, indeed, will tell.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 04:32:24 +0000
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