Nnamdi Felix/Abuja

In one of the most brazen and shocking signal incidents of human trafficking in recent memory, Boko Haram’s abduction of over 200 school girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State, has drawn global anger against the sect and its leader, Abubakar Shekau, marking him as world’s enemy number one 

Abubakar Shekau was the second-in-command of Boko Haram until July 2010, when he assumed leadership of the terrorist group following the death of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder. To announce his assumption of leadership of the group, Shekau threatened to attack the Nigerian government and Western interests in the country. Under his watch, Boko Haram’s operational capabilities grew significantly and he expressed solidarity with al-Qaeda.

•Shekau: The-global-villain.

The world started taking notice of the new terror kid on the block when the group set off its first vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, IED, in the 2011 attack on the United Nations headquarters in Abuja. That vehicle-bomb attack clearly marked Boko Haram’s first lethal operation against Western interests. At least 23 people were killed, and more than 80 others injured in the attack. A series of attacks by the group on harpless Nigerians and security personnel and facilities  with IEDs soon followed, including the bombing of the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, an the recent bombings in Nyanya, about 16km to the Federal Capital City centre, in which over 70 persons lost their lives, with more than 200 others critically wounded.

Before the current global interest in Shekau, the American government had, in 2012, had listed him as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, under Executive Order 13224, had declared him wanted, and placed a US$7 million bounty on his head. The U.S. Department of Justice Reward for Justice Programme said it would pay $7million to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the sect leader. Four other people believed to be spreading terrorism in the West African sub-region were also declared wanted but the bounty placed on the head of Shekau clearly had him as top of the pack.

The others are Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who was described as the one-eyed mastermind of the January deadly attack on a gas plant in Algeria, which left 37 foreigners dead; on whose head was placed a $5 million bounty. The same amount was placed on Yahya Abou Al-Hammam, an alleged terrorist believed to be behind the 2010 murder of an elderly French hostage in Niger Republic.

Malik Abou Abdelkarim, described as a senior al-Qaeda In The Maghreb, AQIM, fighter; and Oumar Ould Hamaha, spokesman for Mali’s Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, MUJAO, had $3 million bounty apiece placed on their heads.

The mass outrage that attended Boko Haram’s abduction of over 270 school girls from their dormitories last month in Chibok, Borno State, once again drew global attention to Shekau. World leaders across religious divide have continued to condemn the abduction of the school girls. Shekau’s release of his usual Youtube rant videos, in which he used the name of Islam to justify his killing spree mission and threat to sell the abducted schoolgirls into slavery, sparked a global wave of revulsion against him and his sect, with many countries offering to assist the Nigerian government in rescuing the girls.

The head of Saudi Arabia’s top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al ash-Sheikh, condemned the terrorist group and described Shekau as a misguided disgrace to Islam. He added that Boko Haram’s activities are not compatible with the dictates of the Muslim faith and teachings of the Quran which preaches peace.

“This is a group that has been set up to smear the image of Islam and must be offered advice, shown their wrong path and be made to reject it.These groups are not on the right path because Islam is against kidnapping, killing and aggression. Marrying kidnapped girls is not permitted. This is a gross misinterpretation of Islam. Abubakar Shekau is a misguided disgrace to Islam,” Sheikh Abdulaziz added.

Egypt’s Religious Endowments Minister, Mohammed Mohktar Gomaa, on his part condemned the abduction of the school girls and berated Shekau and Boko Haram, noting that the actions of the sect are pure terrorism with no relation to Islam, especially the kidnapping of the schoolgirls.

Top religious scholars working under the world’s largest bloc of Islamic countries, last Thursday strongly condemned the kidnappings and called for the girls’ immediate release.

The Islamic Fiqh Academy, which is based in Saudi Arabia and dedicated to the advanced study of Islam, said the abduction and other crimes committed by Boko Haram and other extremist organisations, contradict all humanitarian principles and moral values and violate the provisions of the Quran and Sunnah, or teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. The academy is part of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which comprises some 57 Muslim majority member-nations.

Similarly, OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission faulted Boko Haram’s action and pointed out that the group is misguided to claim that the abduction of the girls and the threat to sell them off as slaves is in conformity with the injunctions of Islam, describing the abduction as a barbaric act.

An Indonesian newspaper, Jakarta Post, also published an editorial which condemned Shekau for “wrongly” citing Islamic teaching as his excuse for selling the abducted girls into slavery. The newspaper recalled the Taliban’s 2012 shooting of 15-year-old Pakistani girl, Malala Yousafzai, because of her outspokenness in defence of girls’ right to an education, and noted that Malala’s message needs to be conveyed to all those who use their power to block children’s access to education. It observed that it is saddening that religion is misused to terrorise people and to kill the future leaders of the world.

Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb of the Cairo-based Al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam’s most prestigious institutions, expressed the view that the abduction of the schoolgirls completely contradict Islam and its principles of tolerance. Even the notorious world terrorist group, al-Qaeda, condemned the abduction of the schoolgirls by Boko Haram. The group noted that the abduction of the girls by Boko Haram was “going too far”.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has also lent his voice in condemnation of the abduction of the schoolgirls. The Jama’atu Nasril Islam group, led by the Sultan had, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Aliyu, described the incident as unfortunate and called on Muslims to intensify prayers to expose the perpetrators of the evil act, and other similar crimes in the country. “JNI condemns this act of barbarism in the strongest terms and calls on the authorities concerned to put all the needed efforts to free these innocent girls and get them continue with their studies” reads part of the statement.

Who Is Shekau?

The name “Abubakar Shekau”, to the average Nigerian and other interests who have been following Boko Haram’s murderous campaign, has become synonymous with killing sprees perpetrated incessantly by the sect in the last few years. Shekau is not the founder of Boko Haram, but his uncanny coordination of the Isamic sect’s bloody activities  such as suicide bombings, shootings, slaughterings and other devious means of snuffing life out of perceived infidels and muslims alike, has stamped his name in the minds of observers globally.

Boko Haram’s mission and target selection was clearer at the beginning of its campaign. But gradually, the sect, under Shekau’s leadership, appears to have reshaped or better still, expanded its mission to attack one and all, in pursuit of a nebulous aim that has got Nigerians and the international community confounded.

Shekau’s maniacal, bloodthirsty and sadistic side was shown to the world once again in his most recent video recording affirming that his sect kidnapped the Chibok schoolgirls. But his display of such savagery has actually been consistent. For example, in January 2012, after Boko Haram carried out bomb attacks and indiscriminate shootings in Kano, killing over 150 people, Shekau underlined his intense ideological commitment to ruthlessness by saying, in a video clip, that: “I enjoy killing anyone that God commands me to kill – the way I enjoy killing rams and chickens.”

The abducted school girls

Such statements made with chilling delight and his demonstration of thirst for blood in videos like the last one especially, coupled with his crazed laughter and cackles, lend credence to insinuations that Shekau may not be in full control of his mental faculties. While referring to Shekau’s possibly unbalanced mental state, a Nigerian security adviser had earlier revealed that Shekau’s mother, whom he has ceased making contact with in the last three years, at least, had mentioned that the Boko Haram leader was insane.

But crazy or not, the 40-year-old Islamic terror leader is bent on distinguishing himself by the enormity of his brutality. And the man renown for his bizzare rants and lust for blood, who had earlier declared his group’s allegiance to al-Qaeda, is growing in disrepute by the day, with his burgeoning notoriety making him the most wanted terrorist in Africa. Since June 2013, the U.S. State Department has placed a standing reward of US$7million for information leading to Shekau’s capture while the Nigerian Army has offered N50 million to add even more weight to the price.

The price still standing on Shekau’s head actually contradicts claims by the Nigerian government and the militay that Shekau had been killed in a previous engagement and that the man in the most recent video is an impostor. Although Nigeria’s Directorate of State Security spokesperson, Marilyn Ogar, chooses to consider Boko Haram as now being a “franchise”, with the person that is the national leader of the sect merely adopting the name “Abubakar Shekau”, the fact remains that Boko Haram’s brutality has indeed been stepped up in recent times. The seeming counter-propaganda to dispirit members of the sect has obviously not worked, as Shekau’s murderous agenda is clearly still on course.

Through sustained bombings, shootings and other forms of attacks, Boko Haram, under Shekau’s leadership, has killed more than 7,000 people in the past two years. Shekau, who is said to be held in very high esteem by even those holding other leadership positions in the group, is said to boast a photographic memory, and rarely communicates directly with his foot soldiers. He is said to wield his power and authority through a few select cell leaders.

While Shekau has been described as bookish by those who have had access to him, he has been scored low in the oratory department. However, his undeniable tactical skills, apparent lack of fear, and and his possession of more than a fair measure of charisma, have endeared him to thousands of followers and fighters who are always willing to die for the Boko Haram cause. And while the group originally pursued largely local grievances, under Shekau, it has adopted much of the al-Qaeda venom and patterns of attack.

Shekau, who is said to have been born in Niger Republic and speaks Arabic, Hausa and Kanuri fluently, emerged into prominence as a Boko Haram leader after the killing of Mohammed Yusuf in a clash with security forces in 2009. Shekau served as Yusuf’s deputy before his death. Shekau, who eventually married one of Yusuf’s wives after his death, also adopted the children he left behind.

Global Rescue Efforts

The United States of America is leading global efforts at rescuing the abducted schoolgirls. Following a commitment made by the US President, Barack Obama, pledging support to the Nigerian government in rescuing the abducted schoolgirls, the Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, announced that the American government will do everything possible to free the 276 schoolgirls kidnapped by the Boko Haram. He stated that a team of U.S. military advisers will be deployed to Nigeria to help with communications, logistics, and intelligence.

“Our inter-agency team is hitting the ground in Nigeria now, and they are going to be working in concert with President Goodluck Jonathan’s government to do everything that we possibly can to return these girls to their families and their communities. We are also going to do everything possible to counter the menace of Boko Haram,” Kerry said.

Part of the assistance the American government is ready to give to Nigeria, according to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Entwistle, include the possibility of the use of drones in the planned rescue operation. He noted that aside from providing assistance to get the abducted girls back, the US government would also assist in improving the capacity of Nigeria’s security forces to deal with Boko Haram. Mr. Entwistle added that the US had had a long-term security relationship with Nigeria which is focused on Boko Haram and that the relationship would continue after the girls are found and returned to their parents.

•A US surveillance aircraft

Similarly, Britain, France and China pledged assistance to Nigeria in search and rescue efforts and return the girls safely to their families. Britain promised to provide satellite imagery to aid recovery operations. The British government has deployed some British Satellite Imaging capabilities and other advanced tracking technologies in support of the ongoing rescue effort and also offered to embed a small team of British security operatives within the Nigerian Army Headquarters as well as provide an international coordinating unit to analyse intelligence gathered from the fields.

France says it is sending security agents to work alongside Nigerian soldiers in search and rescue operations. French Foreign Minister, Mr. Laurent Fabius, told the French parliament that a special team with all the country’s resources in Africa, is at the disposal of the Nigerian government, to help in the search and recovery of the abducted girls. France already has troops on the ground in Mali not far away, where they continue to engage in intelligence gathering to further weaken armed Islamists in the North after driving them out of the towns they had occupied for months. The Foreign minister also said that the French President had ordered that French intelligence services be put at the disposal of Nigeria and neighbouring countries.

The Premier of China, Li Keqiang, also pledged his country’s readiness to make any useful information acquired by its satellites and intelligence services available to Nigeria’s security agencies and assured the Nigeria government that China will support Nigeria’s fight against terrorism in every possible way, including the training of military personnel for anti-insurgency operations.

Israel is also sending anti-terrorism experts to Nigeria to assist with the search for the abducted girls. In a phone conversation with President Jonathan, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu expressed Israel’s total condemnation of the mass abductions and said that a team of experts from his country will be in Nigeria to work in collaboration with teams from the United States and Britain to intensify the search for the girls.

The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said the world body is sending out a special envoy on security to Nigeria to assist in the search for the abducted schoolgirls.

Similarly, the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, has intensified collaboration with Nigerian government to combat cross-border terrorist activities carried outby Boko Haram.

The regional body’s communication director, Mr. Sonny Ugoh, said ECOWAS is also working with other neighboring regional organisations including the Economic Community of Central African States, ECCAS, to improve security in their member states, following the abduction of the school girls the terror group.

“There is a collective sense that ECOWAS is willing and determined to support the Nigerian government to address this menace, because what affects one member state affects the others. That is the spirit of the ECOWAS Integration project. There is a sense of solidarity and the value for the support of each other,” said Ugoh.

At the moment, a reconnaissance and intelligence gathering team made up of about 50 security experts from different nationalities, are on ground in Chibok, Borno State, where the schoolgirls were abducte, in furtherance of the search and rescue operation.

Ready For Talks

The global condemnation of the abduction of the Nigerian schoolgirls as well as the international collaboration against Shekau and his group has brought pressure to bear on the insurgents. This is indicated by last week’s release of a footage showing about 130 of the abducted schoolgirls in black and grey full-length hijabs sitting on scrubland near trees in an undisclosed rural location, reciting the first chapter of the the Quran, and holding their palms upwards in prayer.

Shekau, in the footage, alleged that the schoolgirls have converted to Islam and offered to exchange them in return for the release of the group’s members in the custody of Nigerian security forces. This is at best, the very first offer for negotiation on the part of the terror merchants who have shunned several initiatives by the Nigerian government to negotiate with the group on the platform of the Taminu Turaki led Presidential Committee charged with negotiating with the group and ending insecurity in the north eastern part of the country. The key Boko Haram suspects held in custody or in court include Kabiru Umar, aka Kabiru Sokoto, the mastermind of 2011 Christmas Day bombing of St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger state, Mustapha Umar, the convicted bomber of ThisDay newspapers’ office in Kaduna, Mustapha Berende, Saheed Adewumi, Dr. Yunus Ustaz, alleged spiritual leader of the sect and lecturer at Kogi state Polytechnic who is currently facing trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja, Umar Musa, Salihu Abubakar, Mukhta Ibrahim, among others. Another group of detained Boko Haram suspects is a gang accused of the kidnapping and killing of Chris McManus, a British engineer, who was abducted along with an Italian, Franco Lamolinara, in May 2011

•Jonathan: Will he agree to a swap

At the moment, the Nigerian government, has refused to accept the girls for prisoner swap offered by the group. Nigerian government position on the offer was made known by the Interior Minister, Comrade Abba Moro, who stated categorically that the government would not accept the offer. He noted that it is absurd for a terrorist group to be issuing conditions. Further confirmation of this position was disclosed by Mr. Mark Simmons, the British Africa Minister, also stated that President Goodluck Jonathan told him at a meeting with the Nigerian leader, that Nigeria will not accept the offer, but will rather continue to dialogue for the return of the abducted girls unconditionally.

Presidential spokesman, Mr. Reuben Abati, has stressed that government had always adopted all options and approaches in dealing with the security challenges in the country and stated that part of the approach was when the President released some detainees, including women, children and young persons who were in detention sometime last year. “While the Chibok issue has brought up the matter of whether the government is going to hold dialogue or whether the government is going to buy back the girls, I don’t see government planning to engage in any action that amounts to trade by barter, or treatment of the girls as items of merchandise, or anything that remotely over-privileges crime against humanity” Abati added.

He reiterated government’s position on dialogue and observed that the key word that government has ever used is dialogue and that is dialogue with stakeholders and possibly repentant insurgents and recalled that there are existing committees that have been saddled with the responsibility of operationalising what the National Security Adviser described as the soft approach in the country’s counter-terrorism strategy which includes dialogue particularly with repentant Boko Haram extremists.

As events unfold however, pressure is likely to mount on the government to have a second look at the militant’s offer for possible release of the abducted schoolgirls as stakeholders view Shekau’s offer as sign that the group is willing to negotiate. As at the time of filing this report, about 77 of the girls in the released footage have been identified and named by their parents and relatives.

Father of one of girls reportedly told a foreign medium, UK Telegraph, that he would rather let his child die than have her convert to Islam or be exchanged for Boko Haram prisoners. He warned that a prisoner exchange would simply encourage more kidnappings.”I don’t want a prisoner exchange, our daughters are not prisoners, and they should not be exchanged for anyone. Let the government try to rescue them. If they have a prisoner exchange, that will look like the government is giving in to Boko Haram, and it will just encourage them to take more hostages. They will never stop,” the unidentified man reportedly said.

Another man who is also related to three of the abducted girls said the video at first gave him hope, but then made him anxious and tearful. “Maybe they are converted into another religion by force, so it truly is a kind of terrifying situation,” said the man, who also did not want to be named.

There were indications that Shekau will be naming a muslim cleric to lead negotiation on behalf of the group in furtherance to its offer for swap of its members in custody for the release of the girls. However, the group is yet to name the cleric. This may not be unconnected with Nigerian government response at the moment to the group’s offer. A source indicated that the sect would seek a freed prisoner for every one of the kidnapped girls.

With the massive global support reaching the country over the abduction of the schoolgirls, an elated President Jonathan expressed confidence that the girls would be found and rescued, noting that the end is in sight for the dreaded terrorist group. He observed that with the entire international community deploying its considerable military and intelligence-gathering skills and assets in support of Nigeria’s efforts to find and rescue the abducted Chibok girls, success would soon be achieved.