The Defence Headquarters on Thursday vowed to step up the war against Boko Haram Terrorists.
It promised not to relent in the war and urged Nigerians to remain vigilant despite the seeming conciliatory approach of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau in a video message.
In an eight-minute video, which was posted on social media and YouTube, a frail-looking Shekau, who has not been seen or heard from since March last year, when he pledged allegiance to ISIS in an audio message, debunked rumours of his death, even as he hinted that “the end” had “come” for him.
Shekau, whose previous video messages showed a man that was full of himself and unwilling to submit to constituted authority, in his latest message, was without his usual air of defiance, taunts and denunciation of the country’s leaders and the Nigerian constitution.
“This is a message of greeting and joy for you to see my face. This is my desire: that whoever sees this will hear nothing but greetings between me and you. Only Allah knows the rest, as you believed [and] as you submitted. For me the end has come.
“This is only the message I want to send to you to understand that this is certainly I. This is why I did this”, the most wanted man in Nigeria said.
There was no indication of when or where the video was shot.
While some military sources in their immediate reactions to the video said it was being studied by experts to determine its authenticity, the Defence Headquarters said there would be “no safe haven for terrorists”.
A statement issued in Abuja yesterday by the Defence spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, said: “The DHQ wishes to state emphatically that not minding the contents of the video clips, the Armed Forces of Nigeria would continue to fight in order to consolidate the successes recorded so far.
“The said video clip should, therefore, be discountenanced as it could be another ploy or antics of the terrorists to keep our innocent citizens off their current security alertness to maximise casualties if attacked.
“The Nigerian Armed Forces are now determined more than ever before to end this ugly trend.
“The DHQ is also reassuring citizens that all captives under the cover of the insurgents would regain their freedom with the ongoing military’s final offensive against the terrorists”.
Abubakar said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin commended all officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces for their sacrifices, determination and courage to complete the task against the terrorists.
The statement also advised the public not to be carried away by the video clips but to be extra vigilant and security conscious at all times during the Easter celebrations and beyond.
