The mother of Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau has spoken out, telling Voice of America that her son has “brought many problems to many people” and that she hasn’t seen him in 15 years.
“I am praying for God to show him the good way,” she told the broadcaster.
Falmata Abubakar added:
Yes, he’s my son and every mother loves her son, but we have different characters. He brought a lot of problem to many people.
He just took his own character and went away. This is not the character I gave him. I don’t know what this type of behavior is. It’s only God who knows.
Where can I meet him to tell him that these things he is doing is very bad?”
Boko Haram launched an insurgency against the Nigerian government in 2009 with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate in West Africa.
Mostly focused in north-eastern Nigeria, the conflict has reportedly left around 20,000 dead and displaced at least two million.
Led by Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS) in March 2015.
In August 2016, the group apparently split, with an IS video announcing that Mr Shekau had been replaced with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, believed to be a son of Boko Haram’s founder.
Mr Shekau disputed this, insisting he was still in charge.
“I don’t now if he’s alive or dead,” says his mother, Falmata. “It’s only God who knows.”
