The purported leader of Boko Haram, the Islamist sect in Nigeria, has denied government statements the group is involved in peace talks and has said its spokesman Abu Qaqa has been captured by security forces.
Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has said the authorities were in dialogue with Boko Haram via back channels and that this was helping neutralise the group’s threat.
However, Abubakar Shekau, the group’s leader, said in a video posted on YouTube that no such talks were going on. “Let it be clear that we never sought dialogue or to sit down with government agents or representatives . . . they [Nigerian leaders] will never know peace while they attack our members.”
Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 1,000 deaths since its insurgency – aimed at carving out an Islamic state in northern Nigeria – intensified in 2010.