Boko Haram chief issues new video to prove he is alive

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has released a new video, rejecting not only government reports of his death, but also claims he remains “fully prepared” to face any military onslaught on his militant group.

On Aug. 23, the Nigerian army claimed Shekau had been fatally wounded in an air raid.

In the 39-minute footage posted on YouTube on Sunday, the militant leader told Nigerian authorities to brace for more attacks and mocked Lake Chad nations’ leaders and their backers for being unable to get him.

Shekau reiterated the position of his group that they would free abducted Nigerian schoolgirls “only if the government frees” Boko Haram fighters in its custody, saying any attempt to rescue the girls with force would end up in “disasters”.

Nigerian military responded to the video, saying in a statement that the Boko Haram militant could not be trusted, especially his remarks about the abducted girls. The army demanded an unconditional release of the girls, dismissing the latest video release as "empty propaganda".

The Nigerian government in the past has said it is ready to swap the girls for some Boko Haram fighters in custody but said such proposals are clogged by an alleged split within the militant group.

On Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari invited the United Nations to mediate between Abuja and the militants in a bid to free the girls.