Boko Haram Leader Shekau Is Still Alive – Defence Minister

The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, has said Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau is still alive.

Dan-Ali stated this on Tuesday, after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja.

He also suggested that Shekau could be hiding in the Sambisa Forest in Borno.

Dan-Ali, however, vowed that the military will get Shekau “as soon as possible.”

“The spiritual headquarters has been ransacked and vandalised, and Shekau is on the run. He may be hiding in one of the enclaves of Sambisa forest which we are dominating, we have opened up the place we are using the place as a training area whereby the army engineers will open roads. We shall be patrolling and be ransacking that forest for the whereabouts of Shekau,” he said.

“If you have been opportune to go to Sambisa forest, you will know we have dominated the whole stronghold of the sect, their spiritual headquarters has been destroyed, and is now occupied being by our armed forces.

“I believe it’s just a matter of time, it took America about seven to 10 years to get Bin Laden, so we will get Shekau as soon as possible.”