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THE unconventional war on insurgency has lingered too long in the country that every Tom, Dick and Harry is wishing that the nightmare should end with immediate effect.  The worst outcome of the insurgency is not just that thousands of people have died but the fate of the innocent Chibok girls who have been more than four months in captivity for no just cause. But no war, especially one that has to do with terrorism ends dramatically and certainly not with the killing of one of the dramatis personae. This must explain why Nigerians reacted cautiously when the story break that the leader of the Boko Haram has been gunned down by the military.

Initially, most people thought this is not the first time we have heard of the death Abu Shekau. In 2013, the Defence headquarters did not confirm the killing of Abu Shekau. This made some people to think that the story may not be true after all because of the shoddy way the information about his death was handled and the propaganda that the insurgents mounted to show that their leader was not dead but alive.

But all that changed with the recent confirmation from Defence headquarters that the military has indeed killed the man who was posing as Abubakar Shekau. How did they manage the fit? What is the fate of the Boko Haram now? And will the death of the kingpin lead to the release of the Chibok girls in the nearest future? The answer to these questions is contained in our cover story for this week entitled: Boko Haram: How ‘Shekau, the Second’ Met His Waterloo”. It was written by Anayo Ezugwu, our hard working reporter. Enjoy it.

Maureen Chigbo

Editor

mechigbo@yahoo.com  |  mechigbo@realnewsmagazine.net

— Oct. 6, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT

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