13 facts you never knew about Abubakar Shekau
Quiet and deadly, Abubakar Mohammad Shekau went unnoticed in July 2010 when he announced he was taking over the leadership of Boko Haram after the death of the founder, Muhammed Yusuf, in the hands of the police. If only the Nigerian government knew what was in the offing! Here are some interesting facts about the man spreading sorrow, tears and blood around the country
1. Shekau was probably born in the Republic of Niger, but there are no accurate data on his birth. His parents are believed to have come from Shekau village, Yobe State, where other sources said he was actually born.
2. The general assumption is that he was born in 1969, which made him a year older than Muhammed Yusuf, the founder of Jamāʻat Ahl as-Sunnah lid-daʻwa wal-Jihād (“The Congregation of the People of Tradition for Proselytism and Jihad”) ─ otherwise known as Boko Haram.
3. Shekau was reportedly introduced to Yusuf in Maiduguri, Borno State, by Mamman Nur, who was declared wanted as the mastermind of the August 2011 attack on UN House in Abuja. There are no records of what year Shekau and Yusuf met.
4. Shekau was described as the “quietest” of the trio, giving no hint of his extreme radicalism.
5. After Yusuf’s death, Shekau reportedly married one of his four widows and adopted their children.
6. He is known by a nick-name, Darul Tawheed, because of his theological specialisation: the Islamic doctrine on the oneness of Allah.
7. He has been presumed dead twice ─ first in the 2009 Maiduguri uprising which led to Yusuf’s death; then last year when he was reportedly killed in a Nigerian military operation.
8. In July 2010, a year after he was first presumed dead, he released a video announcing that he was the new leader of Boko Haram and was about to launch a jihad against the Nigerian state.
9. In the video, he claimed he was shot on his thigh but survived.
10. He has been officially designated a terrorist by the Nigerian and US governments. There are two bounties on his head: the United States Department of State offered $7 million and the Nigeria government N50 million for any information that could lead to his arrest.
12. He is very fluent in Kanuri, his primary language, as well as Hausa and Arabic. He speaks English but rarely does so in his videos.
13. A famous Shekau quote: “I enjoy killing anyone that Allah commands me to kill – the way I enjoy killing chickens and rams.” He was speaking after Boko Haram had killed more than 180 persons in Kano in January 2012.
I don't the Islam this guy is practicing because the Islam I know preaches about Love as represented by the Crescent. Our Govt should stop the rhetoric and go after this killer quietly as his Master Osama was dealt with by Obama
I pray that Almighty Allah will touch the heart of these Boko Haram people and stop this senseless killings.
He is a mad man. May God deliver Nigeria.
Facts???
Just listen to his views and the way he talks in those videos. Do his comments strike you as though they came from a rational, logical mind?
I think Shekau is just a puppet. He is always reading from a script, I believe there is someone superior in the background that prepares these scripts for him to read.
I agree with u
Wow. I am SO glad I have nothing to do with NIGERINA
…and you think it doesn’t sound stupid that you made that comment since you claim not to have anything to do with Nigeria!!!!
I am SO glad that I have nothing to do with NIGERIA.
I implore d Nigerian president to wake up & see that the international disgrace this kidnaping incident has earned d country. Its very clear d misguided & spineless hoodlums use cellphones but condemn western civilization. If that truly practice what they preach, their tool of communication should be cowhorns.
What do you mean facts? The fact is this guy is a nut!
The article says "facts", but all I see is "probably", "reportedly" ,"believed to have", "the general assumption is" …. I thought they said this medium is supposed to be different from the others.
This Adoki guy is everywhere. What does he do for a living?
Adoki, when people maim and kill innocent folks for no just cause, does that strike you as the act of a sane human being? Kidnapping of innocent school girls who have done nothing to justify your hatred..is it the sign of a logical mind? Taking lives in a wanton, senseless manner…shows that the Boko Haram leader is totally unbalanced. Anyone with respect for the sanctity of human life, would not behave in such a manner. There is a proverb that says: “By their fruits, ye shall know them.” What kind of fruit is Boko Haram bringing forth? Lies, death, sorrow, tears and blood!
One day he (shekau) will stand before God for all the blood shead.
the story is a bouquet of conjecture, probably inventions
I think he is insane (shekau) looking at the way he talks and laugh and i also think he is a coward if not why cant he come out boldly and face the military if he thinks he is fighting a jihad war rather than kidnapping innocent schoolgirls and killing innocent and armless citizens of this country.
Diversionary!
I START TO SEE THE BEGINING OF THE END OF BOKO HARAM
Shame to the leadership of dis country. D military has allowed it self in d came of politics. That’s y its as if. These useless bh is stronger than nigeria. We can now see Nigeria military aren’t capable of defending this country. D giant of africa is now a laughing stock. Fa
iled govt, failed military,failed citizens,failed country.
But you just wrote our country’s name in capital letters which u may not have done to ur country.@chuks
I also read five facts about Abubakar Shekau on a blog and the facts are similar except taken from different angle. All the same, the guy will be remember for long after he has gone but for what?