Indications have emerged the embattled factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has been crippled in the ongoing war against insurgents in Nigeria’s North-east.
The group’s former Chief Intelligence Officer (CIO), Abdulkadir Abubakar, gave the indication while speaking with PRNigeria in his cell in Maiduguri, Borno State on Sunday.
The former intelligence chief also known as Abu Muhammad told PRNigeria he has warned Mr. Shekau several times to repent and stop using hypnotised girls as human bombs.
“He should look at himself and ask himself what he has achieved from the senseless cause. Despite all the looted wealth and power he has acquired, was he able to buy himself good health,” the former CIO said.
“He is now a cripple and isn’t that a lesson for him to learn and understand that God is punishing him for the pain you inflicted on others.”
Mr. Abubakar, also warned other factional leaders of the group like Mamman Nur, Abbor Mainok, Abu Musad Albarnawi and Abbah Minok, to repent of their deadly ways and embrace peace.
Before his arrest by the Nigerian Military in June at Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, Abu Muhammad was not only an Intelligence chief of the dreaded group but also one of its top commanders.
He regretted that a lot of innocent young girls were captured, tortured, hypnotised and used by Mr. Shekau for suicide bombings.
“I am calling on Abubakar Shekau, Mamman Nur, Abbor Minok and Abu Musad Albarnawi to lay down their arms and to stop the senseless killings,” he said.
“Shekau has continued to demonstrate his cruelty and atrocities against humanity. He had killed a lot of souls, destroyed homes and rendered people homeless,” the former Boko Haram commander said.
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Giving a rare insight into the operations of the terror group, Mr. Abubakar said Mr. Shekau has been arrogating to himself the authority of God by killing innocent souls at will and without justification.
“This was why all his commanders left him. He doesn’t have pity for the aged, women, children as well as young girls, who are mostly suffering and dying in his camp,” he continued.
“His followers are raping and committing all sorts of atrocities under his nose while he continues to show no concern. Many, who dared to question his dastardly acts, are promptly eliminated by Shekau.
“Some of his commanders like Aliyu and our Chief Mechanic who was known as ‘Paper’ were killed for begging Shekau to provide food to mothers and their children at the time our camp in Abiso ran out of food.
“When Shekau was told to help them, he said he did not come to Sambisa to feed the children of ‘Handak’ and said if 100,000 of them die every day, that’s none of his business.
“At some point, women became beggars to feed their children in Sambisa, while at least 13 children got killed from malnutrition and other hardship meted to them by Shekau.
“This is the reason Mamman Nur, Albarnawi, Man Chari, Abbor Minok and Abba Albarnawi, including myself deserted him and formed our own factional groups.
“Mamman Nur moved to the shores of Chad while Albarnawi and Abbah (Last born of Muhammad Yusuf) remained at the shores of Magumeri.
“All of us as at then were all hunting to kill Shekau just like the Nigerian military because of the atrocities he committed under our name. We had fought nine times with him and killed many of his men.
“Shekau must know that all those women he is sending with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), in places of worships, markets and schools are our sisters and mothers and they don’t deserve to die.
“He must know that one day; he would be called to account for all the atrocities he has committed in the name of Islam. There is no compulsion in religion. Indeed, God has really allowed the truth to prevail over falsehood.
“There is no verse of the Holy Qur’an that permitted Muslims to kill anybody. God will punish even those who feel happy while we are killed not to talk of killing innocent souls. So you cannot kill anyone who doesn’t believe in your faith or practice.
“Arrogantly, Shekau declared a whole country and people living it as infidels and ordered that everyone living in that city and not Sambisa must be killed. Islam can never be synonymous to senseless killings.
“Shekau should remember that he was nobody but an ordinary student. He had only two sets of cloths when we were in Maiduguri.”
