Military Insists Shekau Is Dead! Says The Purported Video Made No Difference

Here’s a short statement posted on the defence information website
after an alleged video surfaced this morning claiming the boko haram leader is
still very much alive.

The Defence Headquarters is studying the claims made in the
video purportedly released by the terrorists showing their leader Abubakar
Shekau as dismissing his death.  From
immediate observation and what some online news outlets claimed to have seen,
the video did not indicate when it was shot neither did it show any proof of
life or currency such as screen time or date. 
The video also did not make any reference to anything that has happened
since the impostor’s reported death.

It is also noteworthy that the air plane said to be
mentioned in the video had been missing before he was killed. It should not
surprise anybody if the terrorists decide to manipulate pictures, clone another
Shekau or upload a pre-recorded video all in a bid to prove invincible.

As far as we are concerned, the individual who was appearing
in video and claiming to be the leader of the terrorist group was killed in the
Kondunga battle in September.  The
resemblance of the corpse and that of the eccentric character was
incontrovertible. His identity was equally corroborated by people who knew him
before we announced his death.

So, while waiting to see the new video before any further
statement,  our message to them is that
justice will be served to whoever bears that name or designation and whoever
engages in act.