Another Faction Of Boko Haram Emerges

A new insurgent group known as Nassiruddeen Li Ahlil Jihad Alal Kitab Was Sunnah, or Islamic Victors Committed to Qur’an and Sunnah, yesterday claimed that it had taken possession of a large cache of weapons following its attack on military barracks in Munguno in Borno State recently.

The head of the new group, Abu Muhammed Ibn Muhammed Abubakar Al-Shakawi, in a YouTube message, said that the weapons, which he displayed, were hauled from the military barracks sacked by adherents of the group.
Agitated and visibly excited, Al-Shakawi gesticulated in the film as he was being cheered on by his followers, who shouted “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is great”, and showed off the cache of arms and ammunition.

The footage showed several M16 rifles, AK-47 rifles, rocket launchers, boxes of ammunition, various sizes of bullets and other assorted weapons. The group’s leader estimated that there were about 30,000 pieces of AK-47 bullets on display.

“We thank God who gave us the wisdom and ability to uplift his religion. I bring you good tidings from our escapade at Munguno where, with God’s guidance, we were able to subdue the soldiers and drive them away,” Al-Shakawi explained. “This is indeed a great success. We are very happy with the development. We burnt the premises and they (the soldiers) took to their heels, so we carted away these guns and ammunition. This is indeed a great feat that we accomplished.”

Although it is unclear whether the attack was carried out by Ahlul Jihad, LEADERSHIP checks showed that the details given by Al-Shakawi bear resemblance to the March 3 attack during which JTF spokesperson, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said 20 of the attackers were killed.

But in the film, which appears to show the sect on a wide expanse of desert, the weapons al-Shakawi claimed they took from the soldiers  were scattered on the ground while he was surrounded by the adherents of the group equally wearing army fatigue uniform.