A report by SaharaReporters has shown that the leadership of the Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP, have mended fences with the Jama’atu Ahlussunnah Lidda’awati Wal Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram.
This is coming weeks after the death of Abubakar Shekau, former leader of the JAS faction.
The Boko Haram leader was said to have killed himself with a bomb “when he observed that the ISWAP fighters wanted to capture him alive”.
In a 13-minutes long video obtained by PRNigeria, an army of terrorists belonging to the rival extremist groups reunited themselves after individually placing their hands atop one another while chanting words of solidarity to demonstrate their reuniting and togetherness.
They then pledged their allegiance to one Aba Ibrahim Al-Hashimiyil AlKhuraishi, whom they unanimously ordained as ‘Khalifa Muslimai’, translated as “The Leader of all Muslims”.
In the clip, four insurgents, drawn from the defunct Boko Haram and ISWAP sects, were seen pledging their loyalty to their new commander while speaking in Arabic, Hausa, English and Fulfulde.
One of the speakers confirmed the report that intelligence services played critical roles in creating divisions in the camps of the terrorists when he claimed that “the enemies succeeded in dividing us, but we are now back.”
In the latest video released by Boko Haram, the terrorist element that first spoke extended his greeting to their new Leader, Khuraishi, thanking him for eventually bringing them together.
Pledging his loyalty, he said every Boko Haram member and ISWAP should be happy that they are now united.
Another terrorist, while speaking in Hausa, ‘warmly’ greeted Al-Hashimiyil Khuraishi, assuring that he and his colleague-insurgents would not disregard his orders and commandments.
He expressed delight that they are now back as one indivisible entity after the mutual hatred that hitherto divided them gave way.
Another ISWAP fighter, who was wielding a sophisticated gun hung on his neck, thundered: ” What is left now is Jihad. We will not stop fighting the unbelievers. All the disbelievers have entered trouble.”
According to the daredevil terrorist, every Boko Haram and ISWAP member must be ready to fight under their new leader’s directive for them to survive and succeed.
ISWAP had in 2016 broke away from Shekau’s Boko Haram faction, alleging it disagreed with the late extremist leader over his excessive use of force, especially on Muslims in areas under his influence.
