[Mhiz Rebecca]

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, has explained
why Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has not been
captured despite the recent onslaught on the Sambisa
forest.
In an interview with Daily Trust, Buratai said Shekau and
other top Boko Haram commanders fled the forest as
they could not withstand the superior firepower of the
Nigerian Army.
When asked about Shekau’s whereabouts, Buratai said:
“Your guess is as good as mine because as we are
planning, he too was planning. He could not withstand
the advancing troops into that location so he moved
and we are still going after him.
“As for the items that were recovered in Camp Zero
which we strongly believe belong to the terrorists, these
were evidence to show that our troops have been there.
These criminals that have been staying in that place are
no more in that location.”
Buratai also stated that they hoped to apprehend some
key leaders of the insurgent group, but they also
escaped.
“It was the expectation when Camp Zero was captured.
We even expected to see the Boko Haram terrorists’ key
leaders.
“They were able to slip out of that place and move to
another location. The forest is very large but we are still
searching for them.
“The troops are continuously carrying out clearance
operations in other suspected locations.
“But the most important thing is that Camp Zero was
the stronghold of the Boko Haram terrorists; it was their
main headquarters where we suspected the key leaders
were hiding”, he added.