At least 50 persons were killed on Tuesday when a suicide bomber, disguised as a worshipper, denoted a bomb during the early morning prayers at the Medina Mosque in Mubi, Adamawa State.
Adamawa State Police Spokesperson, Othman Abubakar said several others were injured in the attack, although a correct figure is yet to be ascertained, as victims were taken to various hospitals for treatment.
The attack has not been claimed by any group, but the police spokesperson said:
“We all know the trend. We don’t suspect anyone specifically but we know those behind such kind of attacks”.
There has been less outrage for Boko Haram attacks in recent time as the public is becoming accustomed to hearing of such attacks, and as a church was not attacked, it probably will not spark outrage as usual. Boko Haram attacks on Churches served as talking point for fifth columnists who used it to manipulate the public into believing there was an agenda against Christians. Such agents of war are often disappointed when they find Boko Haram killing Muslims as this does not fit into their narrative.
Under President Goodluck Jonathan, there were speculations that Boko Haram was set up by Muslim majority Northern leaders to target Christians and make Nigeria ungovernable for the then President.
One of the conspiracy theory set up by unknown persons then was that since President Goodluck Jonathan is unlikely to win the general elections in the North-East, it is better for Boko Haram to control the geopolitical zone so that there will be no voting in the whole of the North, thereby depriving the opposition of millions of votes so that he can be re-elected easily.
Another conspiracy theory which spread when Chibok girls were kidnapped, was that it was that key politicians in the All Progressive Congress (APC) cooked up the abduction story to embarrass the then President and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). Many say this was why the then President dragged feet in taking action within the crucial 48 hours.
Other conspiracy theories included a conspiracy between Jonathan and the Sect Members, an upsurge in the activities of the Boko Haram sect, as per the instructions of the then President, in order to set the whole of the North on fire.
There was also the American Conspiracy, where the United States was accused of working behind the scene to crack up the country, having predicted that Nigeria would break up in 2015.
All the Times the Nigerian Army Declared Victory
In 2009, when the sect was becoming popular with its attacks, Nigerian security forces said they killed its then leader, Mohammed Yusuf, and a senior member Abubakar Shekau, and about 1,000 other members of the dreaded group. The following year, however, Shekau appeared in a video claiming leadership of the group.
The Army again suggested it killed Abubakar Shekau in 2011, at a Kano neighborhood during an exchange of fire with security agents. Shekau, however, appeared in a video the second time, debunking news of his death, saying “they will always go to the radio stations to tell lies about me.
“They will say they have arrested me and that they have killed me. All that is a lie. Look at me here. I am alive and I am doing well”.
In 2013, the Nigerian Army said ‘intelligence report’ showed that Shekau may have died between July 25 and August 2013. The Army spokesperson at that time, Sagir Musa, said the intelligence report suggested Shekau was shot on June 30 when soldiers raided Boko Haram base at Sambisa Forest.
“Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide – a border community in Cameroon for treatment… It is greatly believed that Shekau might have died between 25 July and August 3, 2013”.
The following month, the terrorist sect released a video where Shekau said the world “should know that he could not die except by the will of Allah”. The same month, the Nigerian military issued an official confirmation to reports that Shekau had been killed by security forces.
It said the Boko Haram leader was killed in the Battle of Konduga, which took place between September 12 and 14. Meanwhile, the Cameroonian military confirmed the Nigerian Army’s claim.
The then Defence Spokesperson, Chris Olukolade, said the impersonator who appeared in several Boko Haram propaganda videos, claiming he is Shekau, was Mohammed Bashir, adding that Shekau was killed in a fierce clash with the military in Konduga, near Maiduguri, Borno State.
Olukolade said after the clash, the identity of Bashir was confirmed by the locals in Konduga. Bashir’s other names include Abubakar Shekau, alias Abacha Abdullahi Geidam alias Damasack.
“Since the name Shekau has become a brand name for the terrorists’ leader, the Nigerian military remains resolute to serve justice to anyone who assumes that designation or title as well as all terrorists that seek to violate the freedom and territory of Nigeria”.
In 2016, the Military claimed Shekau who was earlier killed according to them, had been ‘fatally wounded’ adding that three key commanders of the sect had also been killed.
The Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, said the Boko Haram leader suffered an injury during a major air strike while leading his group in performing the Friday prayers at a secret location called Taye, in the heart of Sambisa forest.
“Those Boko Haram terrorists commanders confirmed dead include Abubakar Mubi, Malam Nuhu and Malam Hamman, amongst others, while their leader, so called ‘Abubakar Shekau’, is believed to be fatally wounded on his shoulders. Several other terrorists were also wounded”.
In September 2016, Shekau released a new video, disputing the military’s claim that he was killed or ‘fatally wounded’ in an air strike saying:
“you broadcast the news and published it in your media outlets that you injured me and killed me and here I am. Oh tyrants, I am in a happy state, in good health and in safety. I will not be killed until my time comes”.
Barely a week after President Muhammadu Buhari announced the ‘final crushing’ of Boko Haram; a video was released by the group but was dismissed by the Nigerian army as “mere terrorist propaganda”.
Abubakar Shekau, however, came out to say the government should stop telling lies to the people, emphasizing that:
“If you indeed crushed us, how can you see me like this? How many times have you killed us in your bogus death?”.
In March 2017, the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, assured President Muhammadu Buhari that the military would soon apprehend Shekau, stating that the spiritual headquarters of the sect had been ransacked and vandalized, with Shekau on the run.
Three months later, the group released a video in which Shekau claims his group abducted about 10 policewomen in Borno State. The Police, however, denied the leader’s claim.
