President Idriss Déby says he does not know the whereabouts of Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect which has suffered heavy losses recently.
Déby had been quoted in March as telling a press conference that Shekau had been seen in Dikwa, a border village in Borno state, liberated by the Chadian army.
Speaking with the media on Monday after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the presidential villa in Abuja, Deby also said if the armies of Nigeria and Chad had worked together, they would have achieved better results.
He said: “I cannot tell you today that I know where Shekau is hiding and even if I knew I won’t tell you.”
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He said both countries worked together in the war against Boko Haram.
Déby told the correspondents: “We both worked together to fight Boko Haram. I thought it was important that before Mr. President leaves office I will come for us to have overview of what we did together, what we achieved together in the fight against Boko Haram.
“It is true Boko Haram has not been completely eradicated but they have been tremendously weakened. I did not want to wait and come during the inauguration of the new government. I thought I should come to consult with Mr. President, to congratulate him and to have this exchange and have overview of what we have been able to achieve in the fight against Boko Haram.
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”In the Lake Chad Basin, there are four countries Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and Niger currently securing the area. The four countries have managed to form a multinational mixed force that will metamorphose into what is probably known as a Rapid Response Force that the African Union is trying to form for Africa”..
On the relationship between the multinational task force fighting in Lake Chad and the South African mercenaries fighting with them, Déby said: “I have no information concerning mercenaries from South Africa.”
He said he came to Nigeria to consult “with my brother” Jonathan.
“As you all know Nigeria and Chad are two countries that have a lot of similarities in fighting insurgents.
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“Chad has had its own problems in the 70s and 80s and Nigeria assisted Chad during those difficulties times.
“On the 2015 general election, I came principally to congratulate Mr. President for the statesmanship he demonstrated during the elections. We all know that elections in Africa are always contested but Mr. President demonstrated a lot of statesmanship. That he is a real democrat by conceding and congratulating the president-elect,” he said.
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