Abubakar Shekau Denies Boko Haram-FG Truce In New Video

Abubakar Shekau Denies Boko Haram-FG Truce In New Video

The leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, denied truce with the Federal Government, gave more details on the fate of 219 girls kidnapped from GGSS Chibok, Borno state, in April 2014.

In the video obtained by AFP on October 31, 2014, Friday, the ruler of the self-proclaimed Caliphate revealed that the Nigerian government lied and no future talks are possible.

As concerns the Chibok girls, then, according to him, all of them had been converted to Islam and had been married off.

Shekau also informed that the Islamists were holding a German national as their hostage. This man was reportedly kidnapped in Adamawa state in July 2014.

The leader of Boko Haram spoke in Hausa. He was dressed in military outfit, boots and a black turban. About 15 armed fighters made his entourage.

“We have not made ceasefire with anyone… We did not negotiate with anyone… It’s a lie. It’s a lie. We will not negotiate.

"What is our business with negotiation? Allah said we should not,” Shekau said.

He also added he had no idea who Danladi (Danladi Ahmadu, so-called Boko Haram emissary at the talks) was.

Kidnapped girls

It is not possible to immediately check when or where the video was shot. It has been obtained through the same channels as previous messages from the terrorist sect and was filmed in the standard Boko Haram manner.

In October 31 video Shekau mentioned the Chibok girls for the first time since a video obtained in May this year. It showed about 130 girls sitting in a rural location dressed in the hijabs. The hostages were reciting verses from the Qur'an.

The leader of Boko Haram had initially said many of the girls had converted to Islam. Later he proclaimed that all of the abducted girls became Muslims.

“Don’t you know the over 200 Chibok schoolgirls have converted to Islam? They have now memorised two chapters of the Qur'an,” he said.

Shekau previously threatened to sell the girls "in the market", as slave brides. Another contradictory point is that he had allegedly been ready for a prisoner swap deal between the sect and the Federal Government.

However, in the latest video Shekau laughed and said: “We have married them off. They are in their marital homes.”

Earlier this week Human Rights Watch published a report on Boko Haram violence against the women in Nigeria. According to it, about 500 women and young girls are suffering and forced marriage is a common practice in the militant camps.

READ ALSO: Three Chibok Girls Tell Their Stories About Escaping From Boko Haram Den

A former hostage narrated she saw some of the Chibok girls forced to cook and clean. They did it for men and for other women and girls as well, who had been chosen for “special treatment because of their beauty”.

See the new Shekau's video below and keep reading more details and analysis:

German hostage of Boko Haram

In the latest video Shekau claimed that they were “holding your German hostage”. This is the first and clear proof that Boko Haram is responsible for July abduction of the German national in Adamawa.

The German foreign ministry in Berlin did not give any comments when contacted by AFP.

READ ALSO: EU Gives Nigeria Ultimatum Over Boko Haram

The German specialist, who worked as a teacher at a government technical training centre kidnapped in Gombi town, Adamawa, was kidnapped by unknown gunmen.

However, Boko Haram members were the main suspects, because they are known for their activity in the area, which targets schools working as per 'Western education' standards, as well as students and teachers.

Ansaru group, which is associated with Boko Haram, has also been involved in abductions. In the last two years it was involved in kidnapping of at least eight foreign citizens on the Nigerian territory.

Unlike Boko Haram, Ansaru preferred to hunt foreigners only. It has reportedly executed seven expatriates captured in Bauchi state in 2013.

Despite the fact that Berlin is not as active in fighting Islamists around the world as the USA and the UK are, Germans may not feel safe in Nigeria. We may recall kidnap and execution of a German engineer Edgar Raupach by suspected Boko Haram members in Kano.

The hostage, who had been taken to terrorists' hideout on the outskirts of Kano in January 2012, was shot dead in a military operation against Boko Haram four months later.

Sometimes Germans fell victims to kidnap for ransom and not to terrorism. The latest incident happened in Ogun state. One German citizen was killed, while the second one was taken hostage on October 24, 2014. Both of the expatriates were working for Julius Berger construction firm.

However, the company announced on October 30 that the German national regained freedom.

Therefore, the latest video comes as a shock for millions of Nigerians, the Federal Government and the Nigerian military. Jonathan's administration was pretty sure that the agreements reached on October 17 would help to put and end to hostilities. Moreover, release of the Chibok girls has also been expected.

At the same time, many sceptics did not believe in the cease-fire from the very beginning. First of all, Boko Haram has violated similar deals in the past. Secondly, the identity of the Boko Haram representative, Danladi Ahmadu, was really controversial.

Finally, waves of violence and fresh cases of mass abductions have continued unabated. A bloody bombing of bus station in Gombe on October 30, 2014, Friday, claimed up to 30 lives, leaving more than 34 people injured.

Therefore, the talks in the Chadian capital, Ndjamena, failed to bring peace to the North East and to Nigeria in the whole.

Source: Legit.ng

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