As expected the leader of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Abubakar Shekau,
who was named among the 100 Most Influential People in the world by Time
Magazine, did not attend the Gala 100 held in New York. The event held
at Lincoln Center, New York was put together to celebrate the 100
influential people in the world.
His selection drew criticism from Nigerians who felt that TIME magazine
might be promoting the evil of the sect by naming him as one of the Most
Influential People in the World for 2015.
Three
other Nigerians, namely, the president-elect, Major Gen. Muhammadu
Buahri(retd), award-winning novelist, Chimamanda Adichie and
BringBackOurGirls campaigner, Oby Ezekwesili made the list.
“Most Americans do not yet recognize his name, but the citizens of
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, know Abubakar Shekau all too
well: he is the most violent killer their country has ever seen. Shekau
took over the terrorist organization Boko Haram in 2009 after the group
had been weakened by Nigerian government forces.
Shekau, who is believed to be in his 30s, began to stage increasingly
daring kidnapping and killing raids on schools, churches and mosques
thought by Boko Haram to be violating their interpretation of Islam. The
taking of over 200 schoolgirls in April 2014 brought Boko Haram into
the international spotlight,” reads an honorary essay about the
terrorist, written by General Carter Ham (U.S. Army, retired).
In June 2012 the United States Department of State designated Shekau as a
terrorist and effectively froze his assets in the United States. Since
June 2013, the Department has had a standing reward of US$7 million for
information leading to Shekau’s capture through its Rewards for Justice
program. In addition, the Nigerian army has offered a ₦50 million reward
(approximately US$300,000) for Shekau.
Buhari also did not attend the event while Ezekwesili did and called on Barrack Obama to help rescue the missing Chibok girls.
No comments:
Post a Comment