This happened in the forest area of Sambis, which is traditionally considered a stronghold for the Boko Haram group. The attackers on Boko Haram were not the Nigerian or Chadian army, but ISWAP (Islamic State in West Africa), essentially a rival faction in the region.
It is reported that during the offensive, ISWAP eliminated the guards of the group leader and forced him to negotiate. During the many hours of conversation, Shekau was persuaded to voluntarily relinquish power and announce to his fighters the decision to go under the ISWAP banner, However, unexpectedly, Shekau, who was secretly wearing a suicide vest, ended up blowing himself up along with everyone who was present at the negotiations
In terms of his symbolic influence on the global jihad, Abubakar Shekau can be put on a par with Osama bin Laden and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
