WordBulletin

World Bulletin / News Desk

Troops have killed Boko Haram spokesman Abu Qaqa, long the public messenger of the group in the northern city of Kano, a senior security source said on Monday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the man killed on Sunday had been identified as "Anwal Kontagora, alias 'Abu Qaqa'", whose pen name often appears in the sect's pronouncements from its northeastern base.

The source said troops had also killed Isah Abuja, a deputy seen as a likely replacement for sect leader Abubakar Shekau in the event of his death or capture.

"We had been trailing them since 2 a.m. along the Kano-Maiduguri road," the source said, adding that because of the curfew, the suspects had stopped at a roadblock on the outskirts of Kano in an area called Hotoro, when the gun fight erupted.

There was no immediate comment from Boko Haram.

A spokesman for the military and police joint task force in Kano, Lieutenant Ikedichi Iweha, had slightly different information: "One person was killed in a gun battle while two others were captured alive but, as for their identities, for now we don't know."

Nigerian authorities in March claimed to have arrested Abu Qaqa, only to have him appear publicly to deny it. The man they had caught turned out to be another of the sect's members.

The name is thought to be a pseudonym, Nigerian security sources say.

"You might say the man killed is Qaqa, then next moment you hear another Qaqa on air. So we are being careful," said Iweha.

About a week ago, Boko Haram started attacking mobile phone installations, saying phone companies were helping authorities to track its fighters down.