been acting or posing on videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau, the
leader of the Boko Haram sect.
Director Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade who
address journalists on Wednesday said Bashir died during confrontation
with security while trying to take over communities around Maiduguri
between 12 and 17 September 2014.
He said, "Nigerian troops have been conducting coordinated air and
land operations in furtherance of efforts at containing the terrorists
in the North East part of the country. Somehow, it became apparent
that the terrorists in continuation of their campaign of terror were
determined to take over communities around Maiduguri which is their
prime target. There was therefore the need to ensure that communities
such as Konduga were protected. It is noteworthy that the terrorists
made not less than four attempts between 12 and 17 September 2014 to
violate the security and enter Konduga to perpetrate their atrocities.
Air and land forces were subsequently deployed to handle the
situation.
"The convoy of combat vehicles typical of terrorists' mission that
involves their top commanders, were fiercely engaged by the land and
air forces. Several of the terrorists including some of their
commanders lost their lives in the encounters which lasted an average
of about 5 hours each. The troops captured some of the terrorists and
their equipment. In the course of those encounters, one "Mohammed
Bashir who has been acting or posing on videos as the deceased
Abubakar Shekau, the eccentric character known as leader of the group
died. Since the name Shekau has become a brand name for the
terrorists' leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute to serve
justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all
terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria.
"On restoring normalcy after the encounter, inhabitants of the
community who were victims of terrorists activities corroborated
information on the identity of Bashir Mohammed alias Abubakar Shekau,
alias Abacha Abdullahi Geidam alias Damasack etc. Indeed, the recent
devastation on the leadership of the insurgents is attributable to the
renewed commitment to the mission of eradicating terrorism in our
country."
He said a total of 135 terrorists on Tuesday evening surrendered along
with equipment to troops around Biu Local Government Area. A group of
88 submitted themselves at Mairiga/Bun - Yadi while another group of
45 terrorists were taken in around Mubi - Michika. They are all being
interrogated and processed in conformity with the dictates of standard
best practices.
The Defence Headquarters applauds the gallantry of the Nigerian
troops who have remained undaunted and professional in prosecuting
this campaign against terror. The keen interest exhibited by our
neighbours and allies is commendable and we appreciate them. All
allies in the war against terrorism are hereby assured of the Nigerian
military's resolve to maintain momentum in the efforts to decimate and
defeat terrorists. The invaluable efforts toward achieving sustainable
peace and victory against the terrorists are highly appreciated.
"It is nevertheless necessary to alert all citizens that there is
still the need for even more vigilance and cooperation with the
security forces. Everybody is required to remain alert to ensure that
we are not taken unawares by terrorist elements who might want to
carry-out isolated attacks in any part of our country," he said.
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