The Nigerian leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group “killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive,” a rival militant group claimed on Sunday.
Abubakar Shekau died on May 18 after he was hunted by fighters with the Islamic State West African Province following a battle, according to Reuters, which cited an audio recording of a person who claimed to be ISWAP leader Abu Musab Barnawi.
“Abubakar Shekau, God has judged him by sending him to heaven,” Barnawi reportedly said.
“Shekau preferred to be humiliated in the afterlife than getting humiliated on earth, and he killed himself instantly by detonating an explosive,” the Islamic militant added.
The top leader in Boko Haram, which the United States designated as a terrorist organization in 2013, has been said to have died multiple times since 2012, though he later appeared in video messages that apparently served to dispel the rumors.
Both Nigerian intelligence and research from Boko Haram confirmed Sunday’s development. Nigerian military executives investigated Shekau’s death last month.
ISWAP was initially part of Shekau’s terrorist group but broke off in 2016, and a rivalry ensued. Shekau has been the organization’s primary target since the feud began.
Boko Haram made headlines worldwide in 2014 after it kidnapped over 270 Nigerian schoolgirls, many of whom are still missing. At the time, Shekau vowed to “sell” the females at the command of “Allah.”
“I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women. I sell women,” he continued.
Boko Haram has killed more than 30,000 people and forced another 2 million to flee their homes as it made its way through the African nation since 2002.
