Abubakar Shekau, leader of Nigerian terrorist group Boko Haram, has resurfaced in a new video, claiming responsibility for attacks on the army and declaring that there is no room for Christians to live with Muslims in the country as equals.
The terrorist group has been responsible for the deaths of over 20,000 people, including Muslims and Christians, since 2009 and has said in the past that it will seek to kill all Christians and blow up every church.
“My message is to Islamic clerics in Nigeria who despite their position are giving wrong interpretation to the Holy Koran; you are playing with hell fire. You have to be careful because Koran has divided mankind into three; some are believers, some are hypocrites and some are nonbelievers. There is no way we Muslims in mosques and Christians in churches and you think we can work together,” Shekau says in his latest message, as reported by the Premium Times on Wednesday.
“This has never happened before even during the lifetime of all apostles of the prophet.”
The jihadist leader further explains that non-Muslims could be allowed to exist if they “remain by the side without interference” while Muslims are “ruling with Sharia,” which is a position that the democratic government of Nigeria rejects.
Rumors have swirled in the past of Shekau’s death and of Boko Haram’s leadership splintering in two, but the head of the terrorist group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has insisted he is still in charge.
Shekau said that his fighters were responsible for an ambush of a military-escorted convoy of travelers last week, which ended with the abduction of 16 women. Full Report
