Boko Haram beheads alleged informant

A man accused of being an informant has been beheaded by Islamist group Boko Haram.

The incident was recorded in a video obtained Tuesday in which the victim accused of being an informant appears to be beheaded on camera.

Suspected leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau, denies any ceasefire deal with the government and also makes no mention of kidnappings in the video, including last month’s abduction of seven members of a French family in neighbouring Cameroon that was blamed on his group.

It was not clear when or where the video was made. The clip has been distributed to Nigerian journalists in the country’s north in recent days through intermediaries.

Sources familiar with Boko Haram say it was handed out in this manner because Nigerian authorities have been blocking the group’s videos from being uploaded to YouTube.

AFP could not verify the authenticity of the video but the man speaking closely resembles a person identified in previous clips as Shekau.

There are two separate parts to the video: one of Shekau speaking and another of the apparent beheading. Shekau cannot be seen in the second part.

Speaking in the Hausa language common throughout northern Nigeria, he names the man who made the ceasefire claim, Sheikh Muhammed Abdulazeez Ibn Idris, and promises punishment for those who falsely represent the group.

Shekau is flanked by six men holding weapons with their faces covered by headscarves, standing outdoors in an unknown location.

After he finishes speaking, the video cuts to another clip that shows a man with his hands and legs bound. A group of men pin him to the ground, while one appears to slit his throat.


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