Abubakar Shekau, leader of rival Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram is dead, Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) said in an audio recording obtained by Reuters on Sunday. Two people familiar with al-Barnawi told Reuters the voice on the recording was that of the ISWAP leader. Neither Boko Haram nor the Nigerian government has confirmed his death. Since he took charge of the rebel group, more than 30,000 people have been killed and over two million displaced from their homes. Boko Haram gained universal attention in 2014 when it kidnapped girls from Nigeria’s Chibok school that elicited the #BringBackOurGirls movement to trend on social media.

Source: Standard Digital June 07, 2021 04:51 UTC