Although Boko Haram have Chadians and Cameroonians as members, about 80% of them are of Kanuri tribe.
The leader regrouped the group, after the death of Mohammed Yusuf from drive-by shootings to launching massive bomb assaults.
Shekau is widely believed to be from Shekau village of Yobe State,
but the Senate committee in its report submitted yesterday said Borno
State Governor Kashim Shettima told visiting senators that the man was
actually from the neighbouring Republic of Niger.
The report of the Senate joint committee, said senators were told
that “although the Boko Haram sect members have some Chadians and
Cameroonians within their midst about 80 per cent of them are of Kanuri
tribe, adding that the leader of the sect Abubakar Shekau is a Kanuri
from Niger Republic.”
Shekau became leader of the group in 2009 following the death in police custody of erstwhile leader Mohammed Yusuf.
He spearheaded the regrouping of the sect, which quickly graduated
from conducting targeted drive-by shootings in Maiduguri to launching
massive bomb assaults in Abuja, Kano, Kaduna and other places in the
North.
Although he has not been seen in public since July 2009, Shekau has
released occasional internet videos in which he makes claims of
responsibility of attacks and taunts the Federal Government.
In its recommendations, the 28-member Senate panel urged troops on
internal security operations to adhere to the provisions of the Geneva
Convention, Code of Conduct and Rules of Engagement in order to minimise
casualties.
The committee called on President Goodluck Jonathan to direct the armed
forces to carry out urgent recruitment of soldiers and officers as
insurgency has overstretched the military.
Senators are scheduled to consider the report this morning.
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