Shekau on his way to his waterloo, says Buratai

Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant-general and chief of army staff, says Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader, is “on his way to his waaterloo”.

Speaking on Monday when he paid a courtesy call on Jubrilla Bindow, governor of Adamawa state, Buratai said that the fight against insurgency had reached an advanced stage.

Asked to react to the video posted by Shekau on Sunday where he claimed to be alive and in good health, Buratai said: “He, Shekau, is a mad man.

“We don’t have anything to tell him; he is on his way to his waterloo.’’

Buratai said the army had stabilised the security situation in the north-east.

He called on the federal government and government of the affected states to give priority attention to issues of peace building, reconstruction and humanitarian needs.

“There is need to ameliorate the challenges of the IDPs,” he said.

“The major challenge now is humanitarian; we call on the government to provide the needed facilities to enable the IDPs return to their communities.”

While speaking, Bindow praised the army for degrading the insurgents and promised to continue supporting military operations.

On Sunday, the army had said Shekau’s latest video was proof of its suspicion that the insurgent was “mentally sick and unstable”.

“The attention of the Nigerian Army has been drawn to a video clip released by the so-called Abubakar Shekau faction of the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists group this morning,” Sani Usman, spokesman of the army, said.

“In it, the purported leader of the group in his usual insane manner made all sorts of assertions to the point of threatening various towns, groups and individuals. He also tried, albeit failingly, to deny the air raid by the Nigerian Air Force in which he was wounded.

“The video has shown beyond all reasonable doubt the earlier suspicion that the purported factional terrorists group leader is mentally sick and unstable. The ranting is also another sign that the end is near for him which is part of the signs of all wicked people.”