Lagos (AFP) - Nigeria's army has released a poster of its
100 "most wanted" Boko Haram suspects, appealing to the public for
information about their whereabouts.
The poster, published in English and the local languages of
Hausa and Kanuri, and with three hotline numbers, was launched on Wednesday in
the northeastern city of Maiduguri.
"We want names and other information about them,"
army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman told AFP in a text message on Thursday.
Boko Haram's shadowy leader Abubakar Shekau features twice
in the rows of colour photographs but there was no immediate explanation about
the duplication.
However, Nigeria's military has long claimed that Shekau --
notorious for his rambling monologues and threats against civilian leaders --
is a "nom de guerre" for a number of lookalikes.
The authorities have claimed he has been killed on at least
three occasions, only for him to appear in a video soon afterwards to taunt
defence chiefs.
He was last seen on camera in February threatening to
disrupt Nigeria's presidential elections but has since only been heard on audio
messages, including pledging allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group.
The "most wanted" poster is the latest military
drive against the militants, as it tries to meet a December deadline to bring
the six-year insurgency to a close.
Human intelligence has long been seen as key to stopping the
group's activities but has been hindered by military abuses against civilians,
including arbitrary detention, according to human rights groups.
Sleeper cells are said to be active in Maiduguri, despite
heavy security, given the number of times it has been attacked by suicide and
bomb attacks in recent weeks.
Source: Yahoo
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