Shekau started the uprising in 2009 that has killed about 20,000 people and driven more than 2.2 million from their homes.
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According to the Associated Press, Shekau’s speech highlighted ideological differences with al-Barnawi, who has promised to end the attacks on mosques and Muslim markets that had become a hallmark of Boko Haram.
“Those Boko Haram terrorists commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, amongst others”.
There was no immediate reaction from Boko Haram to the government’s claims.
Commending Air Force personnel for their counter-terrorism operations in the nation’s northeast, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, said he was pleased with the outcome of air operations carried out in the last one week.
On the Boko Haram insurgency, President Buhari thanked the U.S for both hard and soft military help.
This isn’t the first time Nigerian forces have claimed to kill Shekau, however. “Extremism can’t be defeated through repression or fear”, Reuters news agency quotes him as saying. The group made worldwide headlines two years ago when it kidnapped more than 200 girls from a school in Chibok. Shekau, who seems to have favored a more independent vision of Boko Haram, seems to be in charge of only small group of fighters who still refer to themselves by their original name. But only a week later, Shekau surfaced in a video posted on social media, ridiculing suggestions of his death and looking more composed and energetic than in previous appearances.
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Nigeria’s military said Tuesday it believes an airstrike has “fatally wounded” Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and killed about 300 militants, but there was no way to confirm yet another claim of the death of Nigeria’s Islamic extremist leader.
But since President Muhammadu Buhari took office a year ago, U.S. officials have moved to sell as many as 12 light attack aircrafts to the country, according to Reuters.
Boko Haram released a video earlier this month appearing to show some of the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist group.
Kerry, visiting the cities of Sokoto and Abuja, is meeting with President Buhari to discuss counterterrorism efforts, the Nigerian economy, the fight against corruption, and human rights issues.
“The training has made Boko Haram less of a threat to Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region, while the military hardware has given our troops added confidence, ” he said.
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The Nigerian government has so far rebuffed such proposals, and denies their airstrikes killed any of the girls.
