Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, threatens to attack Buhari in presidential villa

Abubakar Shekau the leader of the extremist Boko Haram sect has in a new video threatened fresh but more vicious attacks on the Nigerian state even as he battles Abu Mussab Albarnawi the son of his erstwhile leader, Muhammed Yusuf, to retain the leadership and control of the outlawed group.

In the new video, Mr Shekau, who paraded a large number of his men and munitions, was quiet while one of his masked lieutenants read out a statement that reiterated their unflagging loyalty for to him while denouncing ISIS’ choice of Mr. Albarnawi as its West African ‘Wali’ (leader).

The 24-minute video, which was partly in Arabic and ended largely in Hausa, had the group issuing direct threats to the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Butatai and the spokesman of the Nigeria Army, Sani Usman, whom they labeled as their avowed enemies and infidels.

The group expressed angst displeasure with Albagdadhi-led ISIS for recognising Mr. Albarnawi as the new leader of Boko Haram in West Africa. It however failed to withdraw its loyalty to Mr. Albagdadhi whom they repeatedly referred to as Khalifa (Supreme leader) – an indication that Boko Haram is still very much comfortable being under the stronger umbrella of ISIS.

In the concluding part of the video message that featured the group speaking from a thick forest that conforms with the Nigerian vegetation during the rainy season, the masked speaker threatened more vicious war against Nigeria and its West and Central African neighbours (Camerron, Chad and Niger, which he said would commence “very soon.”

The veiled speaker speaking on the front row of men that were all armed with lethal weapons like anti aircraft rifles and rocket launchers among others, threatened that they would very soon attack the Presidential palace and bring down the Nigerian flag.