Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, who is the spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Maiduguri, has asserted that the personal threats of Boko Haram will not distract him or stop him from performing his duties.
Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, who is the spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Maiduguri, has asserted that the personal threats of Boko Haram will not distract him or stop him from performing his duties.
In a new video on Monday, the sect’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, accused Musa, of misinforming the public about the sect's attack on Monguno military barracks in Borno State.
“To the little brat called Lt Col Sagir we heard of your claims that your troops, JTF, had ambushed our men on the way to Monguno, killed several of our men and even retrieve four of our vehicles,” Shekau said. “These are all lies unbecoming of a soldier. It is a shame.”
Shekarau said that contrary to Musa’s account, members of his sect “easily invaded” the army barracks in Mungono and killed an unknown number of soldiers.
“We packed unknown quantum of arms and ammunition which was filled in two trucks, we burnt down the excess from the armoury. They left with gallantry chanting Allahu Akbar. Here are the arms in display. We have 15 Browning rifles in our armoury now, all from Monguno barracks.”
He bragged: “The arms we have is enough for us to bring down the entire Borno state. None of our members died as claimed by soldiers except for three persons. But the soldiers we killed in Monguno barracks. But Sagir Musa should continue to deceive the world, one day he would fall in our trap and we will deal with him, since we have his photograph with us. We know all your movement around Maiduguri in a small car.”
He warned Musa to leave Maiduguri because he will have no place to hide from his group, saying, “You shall see, and you shall see.”
In a terse response, Musa said the Nigerian Army does not produce cowards and that what he enjoys most is serving humanity through protecting lives and property. “I strongly believe that is the noblest act on earth, which no amount of threat will distract, weaken or stop me from performing. The lives of all creatures are in the hands of ALLAH – He gives and takes from whoever he wills.”
Shekau, who on the video is shown surrounded by several hooded gunmen standing upon a pile of different shapes and sizes of arms and ammunition, said the weapons were those his group took away from the military armoury after they bombed Monguno Barracks.
The Kanuri-born Boko Haram leader, who spoke in Hausa and Arabic, said they still have the seven kidnapped French nationals in custody and would continue to keep them until the governments of Cameroon and Nigeria released their members and family detained in the two countries.
The seven French tourists, members of one family, were snatched last month in a neighbouring Cameroonian community before they were transported to Nigeria. The group had earlier released a video of the victims.
Mr. Shekau also warned journalists to avoid phantom groups parading themselves as Boko Haram, even as he officially declared one Abu Zinnira to be the new spokesperson that journalists should deal with henceforth. The group’s previous spokesman, Abu Qaqa, was reportedly killed last year.
Below is the full translation of Shekau’ statement:
"I, Abu-Muhammad ibn Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Jamaatul Ahili Sunna li Dawati wal Jihad, otherwise known as Boko Haram, is hereby passing across this message with the aim of enlightening the world on the issue of religion of Allah and how important it is to us. Anybody that is found standing against our religion should know that it is not a difficult task for us to die defending it. That is the pronouncement from me in my capacity as Leader.
'We have a mission of establishing Sharia in this country and the rest of the world. We are the ones holding hostage the seven French nationals. We are holding them in custody because the leaders of Cameroon and Nigeria have also detained our brethren both women and children under dehumanising condition. It is against every rules of engagement to hold women and children as prisoners of war.
'Our message to the world is that these seven French will not be released until when we see our detained brethren released.
"Oh you French leaders it would be difficult for your to secure release of these hostages until we see our brethren walk in freedom.
And if you make mistakes of securing their release by force, then we shall fight you back with the might of Allah.
'Secondly, all those that are speaking on our behalf without our authority, thinking that by that they would satisfy their earthly needs, should understand that they would not gain anything beneficial from it here on earth in the hereafter, if they fail to go back to God and their religion.
'I also call on all media practitioners especially those airing or publishing anything that comes to them concerning us, you should know that we are not perturbed by your publications, and we have nothing against you. But our caveat is any message that comes to you journalists that is not directly from us, don't ever ascribe such to our name. You are free to publish anything but don't credit us with what we have not said. Our new spokesman is Abu Zinnira, and if our message does not come to you through him, then it is not from us. If it is not from Abu Zinnira then it is not from us; I repeat, if it is not from Abu Zinnira, it is certainly not from us. If I have to talk directly, all journalists conversant with me knows my voice even without introduction.
We are saying this because one elements are going about faking to be us, but the can never be us because we have come a long way in our mission.
'We have also been hearing of one Lt Colonel Sagir Musa, one President (Goodluck) Jonathan saying they would not dialogue with us. That is not our focus. Our focus is on the Owner of Heavens and Earth. He is our guiding leader, His religion is what we practice, and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is what we are complying with. Anyone who wages war against our religion would be fought back fiercely and such a person will not even have the chance of knowing when we would bring our fight to him. And if your goal is to kill us, we welcome it. But you will not know your mistakes until you are done. We pray you kill us on the path of religious struggle so that we can enjoy the mercies of Allah.
'To the little brat called Lt Col Sagir we heard of your claims that your troops, JTF, had ambushed our men on the way to Monguno, killed several of our men and even retrieve four of our vehicles. These are all lies unbecoming of a soldier. It is a shame.
'The fact is our members went to Monguno and easily invaded the army barracks, killed unknown number of soldiers, we packed unknown quantum of arms and ammunition which was filled in two trucks, we burnt down the excess from the armoury. They left with gallantry chanting Allahu Akbar. Here are the arms in display. We have 15 Browning rifles in our armoury now, all from Monguno barracks.
'The arms we have is enough for us to bring down the entire Borno state. None of our members died as claimed by soldiers except for three persons. But the soldiers we killed in Monguno barracks. But Sagir Musa should continue to deceive the world, one day he would fall in our trap and we will deal with him, since we have his photograph with us. We know all your movement around Maiduguri in a small car. You have no place to hide from us, except you leave Maiduguri town. You shall see, and you shall see'.
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