BY MARY KUYE
The United States Department of State (USDS) has on Wednesday placed a monetary reward of $7 million equivalent of N2.54 billion for any person or persons who can provide valuable information that could lead to the capture of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.
USDS made this pledge to the world through its twitter handle on their verified French Twitter handle @RFJ_Francais on Tuesday. It is the USDS’ counter-terrorism project, Reward for Justice Programme’s.
USDS said: “The United States Department of State offers a reward up to $7m for information leading to the arrest of the terrorist, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram.”
For those who might not know Abubakar Shekau, the United States Department of State shared his picture through its official twitter handle.
Shekau is presently ranked eighth on the wanted list of the US government. The United State under former President Barrack Obama’s administration had since 2013 placed a reward on Shekau.
The U.S classified Shekau (Nigerian) with other Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) and as Al-Qaeda terrorists.
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Recall that Shekau took up the leadership of Boko Haram terrorist group after the death of its founder Yusuf in 2019. He began operations as a leader of the terrorist gang in 2010.
Since he assumed leadership over Boko Haram gang, Shekau has wreaked havoc unabated on the northeastern region of Nigeria, killing, kidnapping, burning houses, churches, mosques and other dastardly acts.
This same Shekau had died and resurrected several times, as the Nigerian government has claimed on several occasions to have killed or wounded Shekau, only for him to resurfaced again and again.
Maybe, President Donald Trump administration would appear different from Barrack Obama in his quest to capture Shekau who had killed thousands of people, captured children and turned many soldiers wives to widows.