Boko Haram Mimics ISIS, Releases Copycat Beheading Videos of its own
In a new 6 minute video with English, French, and Arabic subtitles, released through Twitter, the Nigerian terror franchise, Boko Haram, apparently conducted a ISIS-style beheading of two men it claimed were spies sent by the Nigerian government to infiltrate the group. One of the men who claimed to be a Sugarcane farmer and trader, said he was approached by a longtime customer to help infiltrate the group and report on its activities. He claimed he was paid an initial 5000 Naira (about USD 25) with a promise to make him rich. He did not reveal how he was found out and apprehended or the mechanism by which the group established his guilt. He also did not reveal whether he was associated with the other man the group also beheaded.
Last week, Boko Haram announced that it will release a video it titled “harvest of spies.” The video continues the earlier trajectory of improved quality and obvious imitation of Daesh Videos in terms of music, background, sound effects, camera technique, and staging. In it, guards led the two men to a clearing in the middle of what appears to be a forest with tall trees and dense foliage. The men are interviewed and then, beheaded. One of the men who apparently conducted the beheading struck a pose similar to that of the ISIS executioner “Jihadi John” although the actual beheading is not shown. After the beheading, the executioners are shown placing the severed heads on the bodies of the slain men. This video is Boko Haram’s first with French language subtitles.