As the Nigerian government continues to battle the Boko Haram menance in the North east and North West, a new video has emerged showing some members of the sect observing their Eid prayers in a North Central state- Niger.
The video which was shared by Bulama Bukarti, an analyst and human rights lawyer, shows about 100 persons observing their Eid-al-adha prayers in the state.
The undated video has been speculated to have been taken on July 31, the day the Eid prayer observed by muslim faithfuls worldwide.
After the prayers, three of the supposed insurgents sent Eid greetings in Hausa, English, and Fulfulde
“It is we the Jamahatu Ali Sunna li Dawatul Jihad in the location of Niger State. We want to send our Sallah salutation, first of all to our imam, Abu Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Abubakar Shekau,” said one of the men dressed in a Nigerian police uniform.
Commenting on the video, Mr Bukarti said, “This video, if genuine, is further evidence that BH has expanded to the north-central.”
“The dense forest there is a perfect haven for terrorists and if the group is able to consolidate its presence in Niger, it can easily target Abuja as well as to other states like Kwara and Kogi.”
“It’s interesting that two of the fighters were respectively wearing Nigerian military & police uniforms. This indicates that they might’ve recently killed security forces and got their uniforms. This is because in their past video, the only speaker from Niger was in mufti,” he said.
The Shekau-led faction of BH has released its first video exclusively featuring members claiming to be from Niger State.
It shows about one hundred persons praying Eid in the heart of a bush before showing three fighters sending Eid greetings in Hausa, English and Fulfulde. pic.twitter.com/c8pndFzceb
— Bulama Bukarti (@bulamabukarti) August 5, 2020
