Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s vicious leader, is said to be dead

ONE CANISWAP understand why Nigeria’s government has been slow to confirm the death of Abubakar Shekau. It has announced it five times before, between 2009 and 2016. Each time Mr Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, a jihadist group, turned up very much alive and ready to continue terrorising his compatriots. The war between Boko Haram and modernity has left more than 30,000 people dead and 3.2m displaced across four countries. Mr Shekau made zany videos to taunt the government that failed to kill him. In them, he would wave a gun, chew on a stick and let derision froth from his mouth (see picture).But this time it seems he is not coming back. On May 19th, according to trusted reports, Mr Shekau detonated an explosive vest to avoid capture by Islamic State West Africa Province (), a splinter group that was attacking Boko Haram’s stronghold in Borno State in north-east Nigeria. His death marks the end of a bloody career. It also reflects the shifting power dynamics among west Africa’s jihadists.