Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, did not appear in the new video which the group released on social media – their first since February when they threatened to disrupt the general election.
Unlike other videos, the men are all masked in the 10-minute footage posted on YouTube.
The speaker in the footage denied the success recorded by the military in Sambisa forest, swearing “by Allah” that he was speaking from the location.
The man, who neither identified himself nor made reference to the leader of the insurgents, said Boko Haram would soon counter the military.
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The video shows a soldier lying on the floor and also a clash with the military in an unknown location.
The speaker calls Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger “the lying coalition partners” and said “most of our territory is still under our control”.
The video bears the logo “Islamic State in West Africa”, which may be a proof of its allegiance to the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
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“I swear by Allah that I am talking right now from Sambisa. Here in Sambisa you can travel more than four to five hours under the black flag of Islam by car or by motorbike,” the voice said.
The reference to “President Jonathan” would suggest that the video was recorded before May 29 when President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in.
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