MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — The leader of Nigerian extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has killed himself, according to a jihadi group linked to the Islamic State group. An audio recording purportedly from Abu Musab al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, said Shekau detonated explosives, killing himself, after a battle between the two groups. The audio message follows media reports last month that Shekau, one of Africa’s most wanted men, blew himself up to evade capture by ISWAP fighters. This is the first time the death has been publicly acknowledged. There had been several false reports about Shekau’s death in the past with Shekau later appearing in videos to refute them.
