Kano - Boko Haram's leader said Gwoza which was seized
by the insurgents earlier this month has been placed under
an Islamic caliphate, in a video obtained by AFP on Sunday.
"Thanks be to Allah who gave victory to our brethren in
[the town of] Gwoza and made it part of the Islamic
caliphate," Abubakar Shekau said in the 52-minute video.
In a July video, Shekau voiced support for the leader of the
Islamic State (IS) militants Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in late
June declared himself "the caliph" and "leader of Muslims
everywhere".
But there was no indication from Shekau in the latest video
that he was associating himself with Baghdadi, whose
Sunni Muslim fighters have taken over parts of Iraq and
Syria.
As such, it was not clear if Shekau was declaring himself to
be a part of Baghdadi's call or if he was referring to a
separate Nigerian caliphate.
In the 19th century, a Sokoto caliphate was proclaimed
across most of modern-day northern Nigeria and was
considered separate from other Islamic kingdoms, such as
the Ottoman Empire.
Shekau - who has been designated a global terrorist by the
United States and sanctioned by the UN Security Council - is
shown in the video wearing military fatigues, with a
Kalashnikov rifle strapped to his body.
He alternates between Arabic and the Hausa language that
is dominant in the region.
He is pictured standing in front of three SUVs and flanked
by four fighters, who are masked and armed. It is not clear
when or where the video was filmed.
'We will not leave'
There was no indication that Shekau was actually in Gwoza
for the filming and his whereabouts remain unknown but
he vowed that his fighters would keep control of the area.
"By the grace of Allah we will not leave the town. We have
come to stay," he said.
The United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) earlier this
month confirmed reports that Gwoza was under rebel
control.
Boko Haram is also believed to be in control of other
areas near Gwoza in southern Borno, as well as large
swathes of territory in northern Borno and at least one
town in neighbouring Yobe state.
Mapping the precise areas which have fallen into Islamist
hands is nearly impossible.
There are few humanitarian workers on the ground in the
northeast, travel is dangerous and the region, which has
been under a state of emergency since May of last year,
has poor mobile phone coverage.
Experts have described Boko Haram's gains in recent
weeks as unprecedented, saying the group was closer than
ever to achieving its goal of carving out a strict Islamic
state across northern Nigeria.
But many analysts believe the military still has the capacity
to reverse the insurgents' advance.
A major offensive launched when emergency rule was
declared in May last year appeared to put the militants on
the defensive, flushing them out of their strongholds.
But critics say top brass failed to sustain the pressure and
allowed the Islamists to retake some of the areas they had
abandoned.
A lack of adequate weapons for troops sent to fight the
well-armed rebels has hampered the counter-insurgency
and some soldiers this week refused to deploy to Gwoza
without better gear in an apparent mutiny.
Gruesome executions
After Shekau's 25-minute speech, the video shows militant
fighters on pick-up trucks firing rocket-propelled grenades
and other heavily armed insurgents firing weapons as they
walk calmly along the road.
The footage appears to show them taking over a military
base, stealing weapons and hundreds of rounds of
ammunition as well as fuel cans.
In one frame, a fighter stands on top of a tank, waving the
Islamists' black flag.
The end of the video apparently depicts scenes of grisly
executions, similar to those released by IS in recent weeks.
Boko Haram have used similar tactics before, however.
In one scene, about 20 men in civilian clothing are shown
with their hands tied behind their backs and lying by the
roadside before they are shot at close range.
A second shows two men, whom Shekau said disguised
themselves as women to escape the town, beaten to death
with shovels. Two others similarly dressed are shot beside
what appears to be a trench full of bodies.
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