Chadian President, Idriss Deby, has said the Islamic sect, Boko Haram, has picked a new leader.

The BBC quoted the Chadian President as making the statement on Wednesday.

In the British Broadcasting Corporation report, Deby did not say what had happened to Shekau, but noted that Shekau had been replaced by Mahamat Daoud.

Deby said Daoud, the new sect leader, was open to dialogue.

The Chadian President’s claim is fuelling a speculation that Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the sect, may indeed be dead.

It will be recalled that military authorities confirmed the killing of Shekau during one of its raids in Kodunga, Borno State, between September 12 and 17, 2014.

But Shekau later appeared in a video, claiming he was not dead. However, Shekau has been missing in the group’s videos in the last five months, lending force to the belief that he has been killed.

A picture published by The Cable on Wednesday showed the dead body of Shekau in a place identified as Sambisa forest.

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters, on Wednesday condemned the increasing suicide attacks occasioned by loss of innocent lives in the North-East of the country.

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Col. Rabe Abubakar, who condemned the acts of the insurgents in an email, was particularly piqued by the latest suicide attack at Sabon Gari Market in Borno State.

Abubakar said that the bombings would soon come to an end.

He described those behind the acts as barbaric and callous.

He assured the citizenry that the military would not relent in making efforts to rid the country of terrorists and their activities.

He said that the security forces were still making efforts to weaken the capacity of the insurgents “who are in disarray but still constituted some danger to the civil populace.”

He said, “The Defence Headquarters has condemned in its entirety the spate of suicide attacks in the North-East, where scores of innocent lives are lost regularly. The latest being the suicide bombing at Sabon Gari Market in Borno State.

“Those perpetrating these heinous crimes are callous. They are barbaric monsters whose activities will soon become a thing of the past.

“The military is intensifying efforts to continue to break the bones of the terrorists and wish to re-state and re-assure Nigerians that it is not relenting in its efforts to rid the country of terrorism and any act of criminalities.

“Every step is being taken to neutralise the capability of terrorists, whose activities still continue to constitute danger to civil populace, as they are in disarray while running away from their former safe havens and no longer capable of confronting the troops.”

Abubakar called on the citizens to be vigilant and be wary of strange faces and objects in their localities.

The acting Defence spokesman, who advised the pubic to give timely information to security agencies, stressed that the collective efforts of the security agencies and the public in the area of information sharing was required to defeat the insurgents.

Deby also called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to negotiate with Boko Haram.

Also, the United States’ government has condemned the recent Boko Haram attack in Borno State which killed more than 40 people and injured many others at a market in Sabon Gari.

In a statement made available to our correspondent on Wednesday by the US Embassy in Nigeria, it said, “While no individual or group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, it took place in an area where hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks by suspected members of the terrorist group, Boko Haram. We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families and the friends of the victims.

“We will continue to support Nigeria’s efforts to bring those responsible for the attack, as well as previous attacks, to justice. The United States stands with the Nigerian people in their struggle against violent extremism. We will continue to work closely with the Nigerian government and our international partners to combat Boko Haram and assist the many victims of its senseless brutality.”