Military Kills Shekau, Boko Haram Leader ‘Again’

The military, yesterday claimed that Mohammed Bashir, the man posing as Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, radical Islamist sect has been killed.

Bashir is said to have appeared in the group's videos but is thought to be an imposter as the authorities claimed that Shekau died in 2009

According to reports monitored on BB, Boko Haram has suffered heavy losses in recent weeks as the Nigerian military battled the group close to its hometown of Maiduguri in the north east.

The military said that 135 Boko Haram members surrendered with their weapons in Biu, Borno State, on Tuesday - and that 133 others surrendered elsewhere in north-eastern Nigeria and were currently being interrogated.

The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos said that this has never happened before in the war against Boko Haram.

It was also the first time that the Nigerian military has publicly mentioned the death of the group's leader Abubakar Shekau, who security forces claimed had died in clashes with the army in 2009.

General Chris Olukolade of the Nigerian military said that Mohammed Bashir, who was killed in the latest offensive against Boko Haram, was a lookalike.

Bashir "had been acting or posing in videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group", he added.

The military however did not give any dates or locations for when they believe leader Shekau actually died.