Boko Haram Insurgents Lay Down Weapons

The captured insurgents had explained that Shekau normally moves in a convoy of vehicles painted in military colours, while he sits in a MOWAG armoured tank with Boko Haram inscription on its front.

Boko Haram’s APC captured in Konduga by soldiers

Then Shekau was called and spoken to in Arabic, reassuring him that Konduga is under the sect’s reign. These were all done with other captured men singing the victory song in Kanuri language they normally sing at the background.

This fully convinced the imposter Shekau that all is well and the message is authentic because it came from his chief courier. He took his boys along to Konduga, heavily armed with anti-aircraft weapons, general purpose machine guns, multiple Kalashnikov (AK 47) rifles and explosive devices.

As he and his members entered the town, they were ambushed by the military. Immediately he noticed something was wrong, it has already been too late.

He then ordered his men to get out of the vehicles and to start shooting in all directions.

This was enough for the army to start responding with fire, and when he understood the his guns could not overpower the infantry and artillery weaponry used by the Nigerian forces, he jumped out of the MOWAG and made to escape.

However, eagle-eyed Nigerian soldiers spotted him and opened fire, shattering his legs in the process. It was learnt that he also received bullet wounds in other parts of his body leading to his bleeding to death.

Flag of terrorists on one of the vehicles captured by Nigerian troops in Konduga

Cameroonian military personnel had claimed to have been the ones to carry out the raid, but the Defence Headquarters yesterday dismissed the insinuation.

On their Twitter handle, the DHQ said: “There was no raid whatsoever in any part of Nigeria’s territory in pursuit of terrorists as claimed in some reports allegedly quoting Cameroon military authorities.

“All operations ongoing in the environs of Konduga & all associated border location within the country are completely being undertaken by Nigerian troops.”