TheCable

Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, on Wednesday declared Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, and 99 members of the group wanted.

Buratai appealed to members of the public to provide useful information on hideouts and residences of the suspects in the north-east.

Assuring the people that information given will be treated in confidence, the army boss gave the following telephone numbers: 0818155888, 08160030300, 07053333123, as lines to reach the military.

“The fight against Boko Haram insurgency is a collective responsibility of all, including the media,” he said at the Maimalari cantonment where he unveiled the publicity materials containing the names and pictures of the suspects.

“These photographs of terrorists’ suspects are to be identified with their numbers attached to each of the 100 photos, while members of the general public could send in more information on the locations or whereabouts of these Boko Haram sect members that appeared in these special photo identifications.

“If any member of the general public identifies the location and whereabouts of these suspects, please contact these three telephone numbers.”

The decision to include Shekau on the list of wanted insurgents contradicts initial declarations of the military that the lead insurgent had been killed.

As the December deadline of stamping out the activities of the sect draws near, the military has been doing all within its powers to achieve the target set by President Muhammadu Buhari.