Boko Haram debunks Federal Government's victory in Sambisa Forest

There is a confusion trailing the victory of the gallant Nigerian Army against Boka Haram insurgents in Sambisa Forest.

Barely few days after the Nigerian government declared total eradication of the supposed last stronghold of the insurgents, the mysterious leader of the insurgents Abubakar Shekau resurfaced in a fresh video on Thursday debunking the alleged claim by the Nigerian government under the leadership of President Buhari saying they have been completed annihilated.

“We are safe. We have not been flushed out of anywhere. And tactics and strategies cannot reveal our location except if Allah wills by his decree,” Shekau said in the 25-minute video, flanked by masked armed fighters.

“You should not be telling lies to the people,” he said, referring to Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari who said on Christmas Eve that the extremist group had been defeated and driven away from the forest, its last known bastion.

“If you indeed crushed us, how can you see me like this? How many times have you killed us in your bogus death?” he asked.

Though the location the video was shot was not made clear, nevertheless, Shekau speaking both Hausa and Arabic claimed that the video was shot on Christmas Day.

Recall in September how the said Shekau showed himself in a video clip debunking all the claimed credited to the military that he had been seriously wounded during a major onslaught.

During his appearance, he vowed to continue the long battle with the Nigerian government unless Islamic state was imposed in northern Nigeria.

“Our aim is to establish an Islamic Caliphate and we have our own Caliphate, we are not part of Nigeria.”

President Buhari in an announcement said a months-long military invasion Sambisa Forest brought about the final defeat of Boko Haram insurgents in their last stronghold.

The claim and counter claim by the government and the insurgents somehow makes independent authentication of the government’s announcements about the successful invasion difficult.

In addition, different attacks from various locations is now making the said victory questionable, even though the military have been having upper hand in the battle.