Army Corners Boko Haram Leader, Shekau, In Borno Hills

The leader of the Boko Haram Islamic sect, Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, may have been cornered by operatives of the Joint Task Force in Gwoza hills, Borno State.

A top security source told Saturday PUNCH on Thursday that the JTF had located the area where the Boko Haram leader was hiding.
The source stated, "We are combing Gwoza hills where we believe Shekau is hiding."

The source added that a unit of the Army's Special Forces team had launched a "well-coordinated assault" on a group of insurgents somewhere in the Gwoza Hills area on June 26, 2013.

Shekau, the source added, was in the group of Islamists, with some of his closest aides.
He added that the operation ran into "hitches" and in the ensuing gun battle some of the insurgents and members of the Special Forces group lost their lives.

Another military source said that one of the army casualties was one of the country's best Special Forces officers , Major A.T Fambiya who had volunteered to lead the operation.

Sources revealed that five soldiers were also gunned down by the insurgents during the encounter.

Fambiya, who hailed from Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, had reportedly volunteered for the mission because of his excellent knowledge of the area.

A source said the military authorities had accepted Fambiya's offer because he had grown up in the area and he understood the area's rocky terrain.

Fambiya, who was on posting to the 322 Artillery Regiment in Benin City, Edo State, was redeployed to the JTF on June 13, 2013, a few weeks into his deployment to the JTF's Operation Boyona.

The Director of Defence Information, Brig. Gen Chris Olukolade, said that the mandate of the JTF was to look for all insurgents and not just the leader of the Boko Haram sect.
"We know that we are combing everywhere for every insurgent. The pursuit of the insurgents is continuing. That is the mandate at the moment," he said.