The United States’ Department of State has placed a $7 million (N2.5 billion) bounty for information that would lead to the capture of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.
The counterterrorism rewards program of the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Rewards for Justice Program, announced this in a tweet on Tuesday.
“The United States Department of State offers a reward up to $7m for information leading to the arrest of the terrorist, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram,” the tweet read.
Shekau took over the leadership of Boko Haram in 2009 following the killing of the group’s former leader, Mohammed Yusuf.
Shekau is currently number eight on the list of the most wanted terrorists by the US.
Others on the list include Ayman al-Zawahiri, current emir of Al Qaeda and former leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad ($25m); Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is the leader of the Haqqani Network, based in Pakistan ($10m); Abu Muhammad Al-Julani $10m, Abdullah Abdullah ($10m) wanted for his role on behalf of Al Qaeda in the 1998 US embassy bombings.
Apart from killings, Boko Haram has engaged in the practice of abducting schoolgirls, some of which include 276 kidnapped from Chibok in April 2014 and several others kidnapped from Dapchi, Yobe State.
The Senate is currently debating a bill initiated by the Federal Government to give amnesty to repentant Boko Haram members.
