In what can be described as a shocking revelation, a report has said that soldiers were ordered not to catch the leader of the deadly terrorist group, Boko Haram.

The Nigerian Army had placed a N3 million bounty on Abubakar Shekau, but in a shocking report, the BBC Africa said, it found that soldiers, who were very close to Boko Haram’s main camp in the Sambisa forest, were ordered to halt their advancement and retreat.

The report by Stephanie Hegarty, BBC Africa, Lagos, said,

But the BBC has found that, in a recent operation, soldiers were very close to Boko Haram’s main camp in the Sambisa forest when they were ordered to stop and eventually forced to retreat.

Shekau escaped from his hideout leaving behind his cap, a laptop, his jacket, his chewing stick and a pistol, a witness from the vigilante forces, working alongside the Nigerian army, told the BBC.

“They ran away I saw them with my naked eyes,” the witness added.

Around 200 to 300 Boko Haram fighters are in operation, according to a commander who defected just after the attack.

He told the BBC the militants are “still armed, but most of what they say is propaganda”.

The army repeatedly claim they’ve caught, killed or injured their elusive enemy.

But President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim a year ago that Boko Haram was technically defeated is still regarded sceptically by many Nigerians.