By DAYO ADESULU
Activist and pro-democracy campaigner, Omoyele Sowore, has raised a new wave of concern over Nigeria’s long-running fight against Boko Haram, insisting that recently published details on the life and death of Abubakar Shekau expose a troubling pattern. His claims, drawn from a comprehensive investigation by HumAngle Media, point to a longstanding failure — or refusal — by Nigeria’s security forces to neutralise one of the country’s most notorious insurgent leaders, despite knowing his location for years.
Sowore’s remarks have reignited public debate on whether the war on terror was ever fought with genuine intent, or whether it became a lucrative enterprise for certain actors within the system. His assertions, though controversial, tap into lingering questions Nigerians have asked for more than a decade: How did Shekau survive so long, despite repeated military claims of his death? And more importantly, who benefitted from his continued existence?
Military Allegedly Knew Shekau’s Exact Location
According to Sowore, the HumAngle investigation makes it clear that Shekau’s hideout in the Sambisa Forest was never truly a mystery. He argues that security operatives had long identified the enclave where the Boko Haram leader operated, yet operations to breach the area were repeatedly avoided. The forest, he said, effectively became a “no-go zone,” protected not by Shekau’s brutality alone but by interests that found value in keeping him alive.
This allegation strikes at the heart of Nigeria’s security strategy. For years, military authorities announced major offensives into Sambisa, often accompanied by televised victories and statements of progress. However, Sowore insists the pattern revealed by the latest reporting suggests something different — not strategic failure, but deliberate inaction.
A War That Became Profitable
The most unsettling part of Sowore’s analysis is his claim that Shekau’s prolonged survival enabled a climate of endless conflict. In that atmosphere, defence spending soared, emergency procurements multiplied, and opaque security contracts flourished without scrutiny. The insurgency, he argued, became a resource for those who benefitted from the inflow of counter-terrorism funds.
Sowore suggests that in this arrangement, a decisive victory was less attractive than a stalemate. The longer Shekau stayed alive, the more the wheels of the “war economy” continued to turn. Contracts were renewed, budgets expanded, and special allocations flowed with little accountability.
For Nigerians who have watched defence budgets rise yearly while insecurity worsened, this allegation hits close to home. Many have long suspected that the business of war may have overshadowed the purpose of war.
ISWAP’s Role Raises Further Questions
Sowore adds another layer to the controversy by citing sources who believe that the ISWAP fighters who eventually killed Shekau acted with foreknowledge or quiet approval from elements within Nigeria’s security structure. If true, it would mean that internal actors may have allowed — or even encouraged — a rival extremist group to eliminate Shekau when he had outlived his usefulness.
This claim reinforces a disturbing narrative: that Shekau’s death did not come at the hands of a determined Nigerian military, but through a separate jihadist faction operating in the same terrain.
Repeated Claims of Shekau’s Death Seen as Signals, Not Errors
For years, Nigerians heard repeated announcements from the military that Shekau had been killed, only for the insurgent leader to resurface in new videos. Sowore argues that these contradictions were not mere intelligence mistakes but coded signals within what he describes as a corrupt security ecosystem.
Each claim of Shekau’s death — followed by his reappearance — helped reinforce the ongoing danger. And with each renewed threat came more justification for large-scale defence spending.
A Grim Utility Within a Corrupt Structure
In Sowore’s view, Shekau was both an enemy of the state and a tool within a shadowy security economy built on fear, secrecy, and perpetual conflict. His existence provided cover for those profiting from the chaos, while ordinary Nigerians bore the brunt of violence, displacement, and trauma.
The allegations, if ever officially investigated, could rewrite much of what the public has been told about the Boko Haram war. For now, they remain a stark reminder that the lines between war, politics, and profit can be dangerously blurred.
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