Boko Haram leader Shekau killed on orders of Isis

The death of the leader of the militant Islamist group Boko Haram was confirmed by a rival extremist faction that said it had carried out the killing on the direct orders of Islamic State’s leadership in the Middle East.

Abubakar Shekau died last month after detonating an explosive device while being pursued by fighters from the Islamic State West African Province (Iswap) in the Sambisa forest, in Nigeria’s north-east.

His death both delighted and embarrassed Nigerian and international security services, who devoted huge resources in a decade hunting down Shekau.