This person is the face of terror. He is a merciless leader od cruel ideology. And yet we have rather little information about Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram. But these facts can impress you. 1. He is well-educated.
Shekau was born in the village that borders Niger. There he studied under a cleric. After this he attended Borno State College of Legal and Islamic Studies where he studied Islam. His other known name ‘Darul Tawheed` translates as “expert in monotheism”, or “the oneness of Allah”.
2. He is a polyglot
As far as we know he speaks many languages fluently: Hausa, Fulani, Kanuri and Arabic. His group rejects all Western things, so English wasn`t his language.
3. He is a master of conspiracy
Even his real age is unknown. It estimates between 38 and 49. The U.S. State Department has Shekau’s year of birth listed as 1965, 1969 and 1975. Analysts consider him to be a loner. He doesn`t speak much with his members.
4. Usually he comes back after death rumors
Nigerian army has claimed his death for several times. But every time he appeared again in his propagandistic videos. He was said to be dead in 2009, but occurred several years later. In August 2013 there were also reports about his death, but it appeared to be untrue as well.
He was almost caught in September 2012 when military raided his house. But he managed to run away despite a gunshot wound to the leg. His wife and three children were taken by the military.
READ ALSO: Escaped Abductee Says Abubakar Shekau Might Be Father Of Her Baby
5. He wasn`t a leader all the time.
Boko Haram was founded by Mohammed Yusuf, charismatic cleric who insisted on a pure Islamic state in Nigeria. But he wasn`t too effective as a leader. Shekau was much more dangerous and radical. In 2009 Mohammed Yusuf was killed with nearly 700 of his followers. Than Shekau was left in charge.
6. He developed an international brand
As for now there are too little evidence that Boko Haram has some power and ambitions beyond Nigeria. But its campaigns have spread into some parts of Cameroon, Mali and Niger. In his north region of the country Boko Haram is the most active. This area is among the least educated and developed areas of Nigeria. Shekau did an awesome propagandistic job there. He convinced resident that the powers in Abuja are corrupt and a better system of government would be a strict enforcement of Islamic Sharia law across Nigeria. Of course a lot of people believed him.
7. He is a master of threats
In May 2013 Shekau for the first time announced in a video that Boko Haram would start kidnapping girls and women.
“I abducted your girls,” he taunted with a chilling smile in a new video that surfaced this week. “There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell.”
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