Over a month after the Nigerian military declared him dead, Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, yesterday bounced back with a new video released in Maiduguri, capital of the troubled Borno State in Nigeria’s North-East, where the terrorist group has its headquarters.

The video, which has caused a stir in Borno and beyond, shows a man claiming to be Shekau debunking the August 19 claim by the Nigerian military that he had died from gunshot wounds sustained in June.

Dismissing the claim, Shekau in the video said the world should know that he could not die “except by the will of Allah.”

The video shows Shekau, the full name of whose group is Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad, wearing a camouflage, seated and surrounded by dozens of hooded lieutenants. In it, Shekau claimed responsibility for the September 17 attack in Benisheik, Borno State, where about 142 people were either shot dead or slaughtered.

“Here I am, alive, hale and hearty,” he boasts in the video, in which he also taunts Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, United States President Barack Obama, Queen Elizabeth of England, French President Francois Hollande and Nigeria’s Joint Military task force (JTF) spokesman Sagir Musa.

According to him, “Sagir Musa should hang his head in shame, President Jonathan should hang his head in shame, President Obama should bury himself in shame, and President Francois Hollande shouldhang his head in shame, Queen Elizabeth (of England) should hang his head in shame.

“They said I am dead, but here I am. The world should know that I am alive and will only die at the appointed time. Everybody should be judged according to the dictates of his conscience.

“What I am doing is written in the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith and I will not stop. I challenge all the clerics of the world to question my deeds. Those underrating my capacity should have a rethink. I will never allow democracy to thrive.

“The concept of government of the people by the people for the people will never be possible and will never exist. Democracy shall be replaced only by the government of Allah, from Allah and for Allah.”

Shekau, who was earlier declared wanted by both Nigeria and the United States, also taunts the Nigerian military in the video, saying: “Nigerian soldiers are late. After killing many of them in Monguno and Benisheik, we have snatched their armoured carriers and a Hilux van and then hoisted Islamic flags on them. We now move freely with them.”

No link was provided for the viewing of the video, but the BBC Hausa Service, which uploaded it, quoted one of its reporters, Aliyu Tanko, as saying the voice of the man in the video sounded like that of Shekau.

Tanko also claimed that the video emerged from a source previously used by the Boko Haram leader. Previous reports of Shekau’s death later proved to be unfounded.

The Nigerian military has yet to react to the video. Boko Haram, which roughly translates “Western education is sin”, came to the limelight in 2009 and is blamed for the death of over 3,000 people in a campaign of violence that started in 2011.

•Photo shows Shekau.

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