More information have emerged on how Boko Haram strongman, Abubakar Shekau was attacked and killed by 300 fighters loyal to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
According to reports, the fighters trained in Libya and other countries joined their colleagues in a long battle that led to the final fall of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau on Wednesday.
According to a report by Daily Trust, a fierce battle that lasted several days between the two factions led to the death of dozens of vicious commanders and hundreds of foot soldiers from both sides, with multiple sources saying Shekau has killed himself or fatally injured himself to the extent that he might not survive.
It was gathered that most of the fighters that fought for the defeat of Shekau on Wednesday were aged between 12 and 30.
“They are actually children of some ISWAP members killed over time,” a security source said.
According to him, “Others are youths sourced during raids on multiple islands around the Lake Chad. The ISWAP carefully selected the youths. It was therefore much easier for recruitment as some of the youths willingly joined the group and others were forcefully conscripted.
“Some of them were born during the wartime and others were very young when their parents joined the group around 2002. After their parents died because of illness or confrontation with Nigerian troops, the children naturally took over and when the group split into two in 2016, those that moved on their own or forcefully taken to the shores of Lake Chad under the umbrella of ISWAP had an upper hand in terms of training because they were taken to Libya for training in guerrilla warfare and other purposes.
“Others were sent to Syria and Somalia… They were taken to many countries abroad for training. However, those that came back especially between March and April this year took an active part in confronting Shekau in the last few days. They launched a serious offensive alongside other top commanders and fighters already on ground and they succeeded in taking over,” he said.
Another credible source said some of the 300 youths were trained as “medical doctors, paramedics, engineers, IT specialists, bomb specialists and mechanics.”
He added that among them were women “who serve as nurses or cooks while others have gun-handling skills, meaning they can partake in combat operations.”
He said after their return from abroad, they were camped at a village called Shuwaram in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.
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