The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has given the Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maiduguri, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, a 40-day ultimatum to capture Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, "dead or alive".
A statement issued by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, on Friday night, quoted Buratai as saying that Attahiru should "employ all arsenal at the disposal of the Theatre Command to smoke out Shekau wherever he is hiding in Nigeria."
The statement read in full: "Today, Friday 21st July, 2017, the chief of army staff, Nigerian army, lieutenant general Tukur Yusufu Buratai, has directed the theatre commander, operation lafiya dole, major general Ibrahim Attahiru, to capture Abubakar Shekau, the so-called and self-styled leader of Boko Haram terrorists group, dead or alive."
"The theatre commander has further been directed to do so within 40 days.
"He is to employ all arsenal at the disposal of the theatre command to smoke out Shekau wherever he is hiding in Nigeria.
"The general public is please requested to also assist and volunteer information that would lead to the accomplishment of this task."
Reports that the elusive terrorists' leader had been killed in different operations have been rebuffed as he continued to churn out audio and video clips on the activities of the sect.
Shekau, a Kanuri man, assumed leadership of Boko Haram when the founding father of sect, Mohammed Yusuf was killed in 2009.
He was also first reported killed in 2009 but reappeared as the group leader less than a year later.
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