Watch: They will serve as our slaves - Boko Haram leader claims responsibility for military convoy attack, abduction of female police officers in Maiduguri

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has released a video claiming responsibility for the June 20, attack on a joint police/military convoy near Maiduguri. It will be recalled that the terrorists opened fire on a joint army/police patrol escorting relief materials and a burial party at Abari-Dalwa village on the Maiduguri/Damboa road last Tuesday.

According to a report by Sahara, the militants also ambushed a police lorry carrying the body of a female police sergeant, Rahila Antikiriya of the State Investigative Bureau (SIB) in charge of mines and explosives.

Another police Sergeant Bala Tiishe of the SIB was shot and killed and his service rifle taken away by the attackers. Mustapha Modu, a civilian driving a truck carrying relief materials, was also killed.

The driver of the Nigerian Police truck, Sergeant Mwada Kabura, was injured. The militants also drove away the Police truck with unconfirmed number of policewomen were abducted in the raid.

In the 17 minutes and 25 seconds video posted on journalist Ahmad Salkida of Salkida.com, Shekau speaks for about 10 minutes, the group reveals that several female officers were abducted during the raid.  His speech is then followed by scenes of the fierce attack, which took place on the Maiduguri-Damboa road.

The footage shows only still images of the abducted women, but no video. Shekau, holding a chewing stick (miswak) instead of a microphone, takes credit for the attack and in his usual manner, chides Nigerian security officials for lying that Boko Haram has been defeated.

“I want to tell you that we are the one that attacked the convoy, here are the vehicles for all to witness, we are the ones that abducted the female police officers, in fact, they are senior female police officers,” he brags.

"What we did is nothing when compared to our women, children, and friends that have been wiped out or arrested for many years by the Nigerian government. We only abducted them to serve as slaves to us.

He also warned moderate Islamic clerics, telling them to repent as in his words there is no way Christians should converge in mosques and Muslims in churches and work together. 

He is referring to ongoing cooperation between Muslims and Christians, who, recognizing that Boko Haram often does not discriminate in attacking them, are in many places helping each other.

But Shekau challenges their mutual assistance as human beings.

“No prophet has ever practiced this,” he asserts. 

He also declares that the women his group abducted are fewer than 10 in number, and referred to them as “slave".