Livenews.ng
  • Home
  • News
    • Nigeria
    • Africa
    • World
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Technology
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Nigeria
    • Africa
    • World
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Technology
No Result
View All Result
Livenews.ng
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Shekau, Connects East, West And Centre In A Puzzling Agenda

by Matthew Ope
July 12, 2020
in News, Nigeria
Shekau, Connects East, West And Centre In A Puzzling Agenda

Shekau, Connects East, West And Centre In A Puzzling Agenda

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Scorned and underrated, Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Jama’atu Ahlul Sunnah Lidda’awatu Wal-Jihad (JAS), otherwise known as Boko Haram is currently pulling a massive stealth strategy in an organisational makeover destined to connect the northeast, the north-west and the north-central in a bewildering expansionist agenda.

Defined by welcoming former apostates; engaging in factional reconciliations; admitting of modest ideological shifts; and proposing a balanced role for clerics and combatants in his group, Shekau is on the move to consolidate his ranks and establish himself as the ‘African Jihadi Caliph’ after his 2011-12 falling out with Al Qaeda, the embattled Islamic State in Iraq and the Levent.

READ ALSO: Borno state: Boko Haram ambush, kills 20 Soldiers

Often portrayed as a silly sick bag, on account of his frequent melodramatic video appearances, where he is either dancing, singing, mimicking others or indiscriminately shooting machine guns into the air, insurgency experts and knowledgeable sources on the identity of social movements in the Nigerian northeast, believe Shekau is emerging more of a strategic and calculated schemer than past or current assessment of him is admitting.

Insurgency experts in Maiduguri and Abuja told HumAngle that no other leader has so far exerted comparable influence to sustain such bloody villainy in the now decade-old insurgency which has consumed about 30,000 lives and scattered more than two million citizens into a cruel internal flight from their homes.

After the demise of Muhammed Yusuf in 2009 when he became the putative leader of Boko Haram, and the immediate period of floundering and mediocre Shekau leadership, during which he survived several coups and counter-coups by even far more superior fighting forces within the jihadi community, the wily insurgent has embraced a far-reaching restyling with an unmistakable eye on expansionist ambitions.

Experts date this remodeling to 2012 when he lived in Kano, Northwest Nigeria, before moving to the remote forest areas of Alagarno and Sambisa in Borno State in the Northeast.

HumAngle’s own investigations show that after executing several of his associates at the slightest provocation, Shekau appeared to have come round to the view that this excess was responsible for the defection of hundreds of previous members across Nigeria and into the diaspora, even while others joined forces with other insurgents to form ANSARU in 2012 and ISWAP in 2016.

With a studied eye on current developments within rival groups, Shekau staked a handsome bet: ANSARU evidently had not grown in any prestige, because, according to sources, the lack of leadership, while ISWAP continues to be bogged down by constant leadership feud. In the light of all these, Shekau’s smartest move, it seemed, was to invest in growth and expansion.

Multiple sources knowledgeable about the inner workings of Shekau’s group started noticing an astonishingly tolerant evolution in him, adopting a lenient posture towards his troops and commanders.

He is believed to be currently extending a hand of reconciliation to defectors, something previously unthinkable, although he remains agnostic towards the Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) and its members, to which a defected member of Shekau’s flock said, “He still has zero-tolerance for them.”

The deft weaving of alliance and the development of a renewed cosy gesture to others have invariably eased his expanded footprints, starting from the lucrative Lake Chad region through the north-central zones of the country, to the north-west regions.

All these developments speak to a new vision of the insurgency; and to the ultimate purpose of a caliphate, insights that appear to have evaded the radar of scholars and the security forces.
In the Lake Chad basin area, Shekau courted Sa’alaba and Bakura, two prominent fighters who were reluctant to commit to any side during the feud between the late Abu Musab [son of the group’s founder Yusuf] and the late Mamman Nur whose ISWAP fighters duelled and the Shekau-led Boko Haram forces in 2016.

With the Sa’alaba/Bakura group in the play, they had over 300 fighters, as in December 2018, pledged allegiance to Shekau early in 2019 dramatically redrawing the map of the resource-rich Lake Chad basin as a contested terrain which ISWAP had monopolized for a while.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that this Shekau’s manoeuvre, of offering fighters, groups under him which are operating outside of the Sambisa general area in central and southern Borno, and in parts of Cameroon, to operate semi-autonomously, is the critical factor helping to cement these new alliances.

The idea of a sub-faction, with Shekau serving only as a spiritual leader, became a win-win that offered major attraction to many fighters as to the expansionist Shekau himself.

Thus, fighters who defected from Boko Haram, but showed no interest in joining the government’s safe corridor window suddenly became part of the groups showing interest in Shekau’s new offerings.

Hum Angle sources believe that these are fighters Shekau is particularly courting for a measure of an expanded alliance by licensing them to “go to more than 10 locations within and outside Nigeria and fight as members of JAS,” according to a source familiar with the group’s new big-tent programme.

This mother-breast strategy appears to have hit the chord for many as one former fighter told HumAngle that after fleeing Sambisa forest in 2018 to Kano, he could not find a job to do, a fate that also affected many of his comrades in arms who found it hard to reintegrate into the civil society in northern Nigeria.

Every day, they claimed, they were afraid to meet someone from Maiduguri who knew them and life became a nightmare. “Some of us joined ANSARU and moved to the forests in Northwest Nigeria because, at any rate, it was very difficult to find jobs in the cities,” said the former fighter.

Now that “Imam Shekau has created cells in Niger and Zamfara states we are free to rejoin the group without the fear of reprisals,” he added.

Shekau’s ideological shift is at its striking peak. His departure from the past seemed total that he had soft-pedaled to the point of categorising some Muslims living outside his fold not as takfiris (apostates) but now in welcoming tones as “brothers.”

Not all past allies and current freelancer fighters are believers yet, but, according to sources, they are open-minded enough to venture a try, like fighters in Taraba, Kogi, Katsina and Sokoto states who are currently in the process of sealing such allegiance, according to competent sources and as already disclosed in an exclusive report by HumAngle on June 16.

What has given momentum to this strategy of sealing alliances, HumAngle learned, was prudent of theology, culture, and history. Before any allegiance is sealed, Shekau will typically normally send emissaries to the location, carry out investigations and explain clearly his ideology, and speak of the value of strength in unity. Historians of the region said this was a complete resort to empire-building lessons from the 19th century Kanem Borno.

So when there is an understanding, after the back and forth interactions, the emissaries will accept the Bai’a (pledge of allegiance) on behalf of Shekau and stay back to organise the Katiba (detachment) in different components – Shurah Council, Jaish (military), Amniyat or Sariya (intelligence), Hisbah (police), I’ilan (media unit), among other structures.

A typical example is the Sa’alaba/Bakura in the Republic of Niger, operating close to the border with Nigeria, which has the above structure in place. He is reported to command the largest number of fighters (Katiba) outside the Sambisa general area boasting of no less than 700 active fighters. This is next in strategic importance to Shekau’s Katibas in Cameroon, Republic of Chad and Niger State, North-Central Nigeria, and Zamfara in Northwest Nigeria.

It remains unclear here if the Nigerian government and international partners in the war against terrorism understand or have plans to alter or indeed forestall this expansionist programme of Boko Haram.

Notwithstanding that Shekau’s fighters have been under intense attacks from both the Nigerian military and the Multi-National Joint Task Force, the group currently faces little or no resistance from counterintelligence and counter doctrinal messaging perspective to dent their current violent expansionist onslaught.

Join us for live updates on:

Whatsapp | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram 

Tags: Abubakar ShekauBoko HaramCentreEastJama’atu AhlulLidda’awatu Wal-JihadShekau KatibasSunnahWe
ShareTweetShare
Next Post
More Than 100 Boko Haram Captives Surrender

Boko Haram Kill Over 30 Soldiers In Fresh Attacks On Borno State

Nigeria Issues New Travel Advisory for UAE Bound Passengers

247 Nigerians stranded in Malaysia

OYO STATE: 67 COVID-19 patients discharged in isolation centre

Oyo State: 67 COVID-19 patients discharged in isolation centre

Recommended

Beirut Blast: Death toll hits 100

Beirut Blast: Death toll hits 100

8 months ago
DSS Denies Arresting Ibrahim Magu

DSS Denies Arresting Ibrahim Magu

9 months ago
#ENDSars: Full speech of President Muhammadu Buhari

#ENDSars: Full speech of President Muhammadu Buhari as he address the Nation

6 months ago
Daystar Christian Centre won’t reopen – Sam Adeyemi

Daystar Christian Centre won’t reopen – Sam Adeyemi

8 months ago

Recent News

CBN places ban on Cryptocurrencies trading.
Business

CBN places ban on Cryptocurrencies trading.

by Adewunmi Kay
February 5, 2021
0

Central Bank of Nigeria has ordered banks and other financial institutions to close customer accounts used in trading cryptocurrencies and other related...

US President, Joe Biden lifts Travel Ban on Muslim & African countries.

US President, Joe Biden lifts Travel Ban on Muslim & African countries.

January 21, 2021
COVID-19: Reps Oppose School Resumption.

COVID-19: Reps Oppose School Resumption.

January 17, 2021
Former minister of commerce, Jubril Martins-Kuye dies at 78

Former minister of commerce, Jubril Martins-Kuye dies at 78

January 17, 2021
Donald Trump Impeached For Inciting US Capitol Riot.

Donald Trump Impeached For Inciting US Capitol Riot.

January 14, 2021
Commercial drivers protest in Lagos, leave passengers stranded.

Commercial drivers protest, leave passengers stranded in Lagos.

January 13, 2021

Highlights

Former minister of commerce, Jubril Martins-Kuye dies at 78

Donald Trump Impeached For Inciting US Capitol Riot.

Commercial drivers protest, leave passengers stranded in Lagos.

BVN generated NIN must be verified to access NIMC mobile app

Nancy Pelosi takes further steps to remove Trump

Suntwist Creativity Lessons: Why Invest in Farmland?

Trending

  • Secondary school students caught on camera having group sex

    Secondary school students caught on camera having group sex

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • BBNaija: Praise and Ka3na sex scene – See Video

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Kemi Olunloyo blames late Nicole Thea for her death.

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • BBNaija 2020: Nengi, Kiddwaya caught on camera in bathroom

    9 shares
    Share 9 Tweet 0
  • I Joined Aiye Cult Because I Wanted To Meet Davido In Person – Suspect Opens Up

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • BBNaija: Laycon Allegedly Begging Regina Daniels On Social Media

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Nollywood Actress, Mo Bimpe opens up on Wedding Photos

    5 shares
    Share 5 Tweet 0
  • BBNaija 2020: Nengi caught in the act again.

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Activist Aisha Yesufu calls out Pastor Kumuyi over assault on schoolboy

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • “I don’t want to see you in my house” – Niniola warns Teni

    205 shares
    Share 205 Tweet 0
Livenews.ng

Live News Nigeria is an online newspaper platform for dissemination of happenings around us and useful information.

Recent News

  • CBN places ban on Cryptocurrencies trading. February 5, 2021
  • US President, Joe Biden lifts Travel Ban on Muslim & African countries. January 21, 2021
  • COVID-19: Reps Oppose School Resumption. January 17, 2021

Pages

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Condition

© 2020 LiveNews Nigeria - All rights belong to their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Nigeria
    • Africa
    • World
  • Health
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Technology

© 2020 LiveNews Nigeria

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.