by Daniel Essien

Imam Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, has issued a threat to President Goodluck Jonathan in an audio message allegedly posted on the Internet. The video clip which was posted to YouTube two days back, shows a still image of Imam Abubakar Shekau, seated on a sofa with a Kalashnikov rifle behind him.

Switching between Arabic, English and Hausa, Shekau insisted that negotiations suggested by the President between government and the sect will not take place. “He’s lying. He cannot do it,” Shekau said. “If Jonathan does not repent as a Muslim, even if I die myself, Jonathan’s going to see. He’s looking at me like I’m nobody, but he’ll see.”

Shekau also confirmed that Boko Haram carried out the attacks in Kano on January 20 that left over 185 people dead.  Armed members of the sect attacked police stations, immigration offices and the local headquarters of the SSS. However, he denied killing civillians, claiming that the sect’s gunmen tried to protect the inhabitants of Nigeria’s second largest city.

“We’re killing police officers,” he said. “we’re killing soldiers and other government people who are fighting Allah and Christians who are killing Muslims and talking badly about our Islamic religion. I am not against anyone, but if Allah asks me to kill someone, I will kill him and I will enjoy killing him like I am killing a chicken.”