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Abubakar Shekau
Abubakar Shekau is the de facto leader of the Boko Haram Islamist militant group that has waged a brutal war of terror in Nigeria’s north east region over the last seven years. He is one of the most wanted fugitives in Africa and across the world. In June 2012, the United States Department of State officially designated Shekau as a terrorist and placed a $7 million bounty for information leading to his capture through its Rewards for Justice program. In addition, the Nigerian army has offered approximately $300,000 for information leading to the arrest of Shekau.
Shekau assumed leadership of Boko Haram in 2009 after the death of Mohammed Yusuf, the group’s leader and spiritual head. Soon after, he launched a violent terror campaign targeting Christians, government authorities, and moderate Muslims. In 2014, Shekau claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of over 200 girls from the village of Chibok in north eastern Nigeria. Some of the girls have escaped or been released, but Boko Haram continues to leverage hundreds of others in negotiations with the Nigerian government. In 2015, Shekau pledged Boko Haram’s loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the terror group, Islamic State of Iraq Syria (ISIS).
