“We were responsible,” a voice identified as that of suspected Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau says in audio played over a picture of him. “I ordered it and I will give that order again and again. God gave us victory.”
A spokesman for the group had earlier claimed responsibility for coordinated bombings and shootings on January 20 in Kano which left at least 185 people dead. Police stations were the main targets.
Shekau said in the message that “we attacked the security formations because our members were arrested and tortured. Our women and children have also been arrested.” He then issued another threat: “They should know that they also have wives and children. We can also abduct them. It is not beyond our powers.
“Soldiers raided an Islamic seminary in Maiduguri and desecrated the Quran.
They should bear in mind that they also have primary and secondary schools and universities, and we can also attack them.”
The Boko Haram leader also accused the authorities of killing civilians in Friday’s violence.
“After we finished our war, policemen stuck around and started killing civilians and later blamed us,” he said. “We are not fighting civilians, but security forces. We only kill soldiers, policemen and their collaborators.”
The Kano attacks were the worst yet attributed to Boko Haram and occurred in a city that serves as the economic heart of the North. Another police station was attacked in Kano on Tuesday night, while an explosion also went off in the city on yesterday. A German engineer was also kidnapped on the outskirts of Kano yesterday. A video posted on YouTube earlier this month was also said to be of Shekau.
In the video, the man said to be Shekau issued a message to President Goodluck Jonathan and threatened further violence.
The appearance of the man in the video appeared significantly different than earlier images said to be of the Boko Haram chief, but a Western diplomat said “we assessed it was Shekau.”
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