After a recent bombing raid that killed one of the wives of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, the Nigerian military on Wednesday said it is investigating the incident.
After a recent bombing raid that killed one of the wives of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, the Nigerian military on Wednesday said it is investigating the incident.
According to reports, on October 19, fighter jets attacked what was called " a large gathering of Boko Haram" at the Durwawa settlement, near Urga in the Konduga area of Borno State.
In an emailed statement, Airforce Spokesman Air Commodore, Olatokunbo Adesanya, said the bombing killed jihadists on the ground and triggered a fire.
"Efforts are ongoing to confirm the reported killing of Shekau's wife, alongside other BHTs (Boko Haram terrorists)," he said.
Shekau's wife was identified only as Mallama Fitdasi. Mallama means "madam" in Hausa and shows a sign of honor.
According to Adesanya, Fitdasi was "reported to have been representing her husband in a coordinating meeting with other terrorists at the location of the airstrikes".
Shekau is known to have four wives, including one of Muhammad Yusuf's widows.
Yusuf was the founder of Boko Haram, but after his death, Shekau took over as the leader of the group back in 2009.
However, the group suffered a major split last year when some people of the Islamic State group recognized Yusuf's son, Abu Mus'ab al-Barnawi, as the leader.
Despite clashes within the group, Boko Haram's eight-year insurgency has left at least 20,000 civilians dead in northeast Nigeria.
Shekau is now considered a global terrorist and the United States has offered an up to $7 million reward for information that will bring him to justice.
