United States Department of State (USDS) Wednesday announced a $7million (N2.54b) bounty for information that could lead to the arrest of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

The information was posted on the USDS’ counter-terrorism project, Reward for Justice Programme’s verified French Twitter handle @RFJ_Francais on Tuesday evening.

The is the second time since 2013 that US government would be placing a reward on Shekau and other Islamic State in Syria (ISIS) as well as Al-Qaeda terrorists on the global watch list.

Shekau, a factional leader of Boko Haram terrorist group that has wreaked havoc in northeastern region of Nigeria since 2010, has proven himself a cat with nine lives.

Currently ranked eighth on the wanted list of the US government, Shekau has been announced killed or fatally wounded by Nigerian government forces on several occasions only to resurface in boastful YouTube videos mocking the government.

Sharing a picture of Shekau, the USDS said: “The United States Department of State offers a reward up to $7m for information leading to the arrest of the terrorist, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram.

“Stop the terrorists is a collaborative effort. Let’s work together and bring the peace to our communities. If you have information on any of the Boko Haram leaders, contact us on Telegram (@RFJ_Francais_bot) and WhatsApp (+1 202 975 9195).”

Checks revealed that the US in 2013 offered rewards up to $23million for information that would aid the location and capture of key terrorist leaders in the Sahel and Maghreb regions including Shekau.

The government of President Barack Obama offered $7million for Shekau, $5million for information on Yahya Abu and Mokhtar Belmokhtar el-Hammam, leaders of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Signed-In-Blood Battalion, respectively. It also offered $3million each for AQIM leader Malik Abou Abdelkarim and Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa leader Oumar Ould Hamaha.

Contacted, spokesman for the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Mr Nwachukwu Onyema said the USDS’ offer was diplomatic and not military approach and can only he reacted to at the diplomatic level.

“That is a diplomatic action. It was not offered by the US military and so, the military doesn’t have to comment on it. But let me remind you that Shekau has long been declared wanted by the Nigerian military and he is still a wanted person.”

The Nation