We’re Yet to Apprehend the Real Shekau, DHQ Admits
Urges FG to regularise illegal refiners’ activities
Paul Obi
The Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) yesterday said due to several fictitious faces of some Boko Haram terrorists parading themselves as ‘Ibrahim Shekau,” the military was yet to apprehend the real Shekau.
Director Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Major General John Enenche, told journalists in Abuja during the monthly press briefing that because of the deceptive nature of the real identity of Shekau, the military has not been able to capture the leader of Boko Haram sects who has often appeared on videos threatening government on various fronts.
Enenche while responding to the revelation by the of Minister of Defence, Col Dan-Ali that the military were yet to get hold of Shekau, said: “The search for Shekau is still on. It (statement) was qualified with the truth that there were so many faces of Shekau, so we get the real Shekau.
“But we are aware, and have come to know that the real Shekau is yet to be apprehended. If you remember, when Osama bin Ladin was killed, they went further to do a DNA test.
“It is because there so many faces of Shekau, that brought the mix up, but the real Shekau is yet to be caught, and we will get him,” Enenche said.
On military operations in the South-east and Southsouth, the DHQ urged the federal government to rather regularise the activities of illegal refiners.
Enenche told journalists that “the current operation in the South-south and South-east of the country by the Nigerian military is Operation Delta Safe is to stem the activities of oil thieves and other criminalities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
“In this regard, several illegal refineries, and other illegal bunkering activities have been curtailed. The operation is on-going. It is hoped that with the proposal of the federal government to encourage the illegal refiners to regularise and legalise their ventures, there would be a reduction if not eradication of this economic crime among the other criminalities in the Niger Delta region. It will therefore bear positively on Operation Delta Safe.
Speaking on Boko Haram, Enenche added that the military “has been able to decimate and degrade the Boko Haram terrorists from their terrogensic activity to splinter acts of terrorism here and there mostly within Borno State.
Currently, clearance operation is on going jointly by the force to eliminate both active and passive acts of terrorism in the North-east. It is worthy of note that some countries such as Britain, USA and France among others provided one form of assistance to the military in our effort so far in the North-east. It is hoped that the collaboration would continue to ensure that; this “evil of terrorism is eliminated from Nigeria and equally degraded globally.
He stated that such efforts are also being replicated in the North central zone with the epicenter in Plateau State.
Enenche further stressed that Operation Awatse in the South-west is aimed at protecting installations and petroleum products related criminality with negative socio-economic consequence for the country.