The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria, on Monday, described Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau as a coward and challenged him to come out of hiding.

“Shekau should be bold enough to face security forces if he is truly the courageous leader of Boko Haram he claims to be,” the Council said at a press briefing in Kaduna conducted by its Secretary-General, Nafi’u Baba-Ahmed.

It noted that Shekau’s confession of the murder of Sheikh Jafar Adam exposed his complete ignorance of Islam and its laws.

“Shekau gleeful confession to the brutal murder of late Sheik Ja’afar Adam revealed his clear ignorance of the teachings of Islam which he claims to champion.”

The council, therefore, issued what it called an intellectual challenge to Shekau on his group’s “crooked religious ideology.”

It appreciated efforts of the Federal Government to tackle insecurity, but said current resurgence demands new strategies, alternative approaches and options in addressing the problems.

The Shari’ah council also said that the present service chiefs must be called to account over the resurgence of security threats including Boko Haram attacks and other threats across the country.

It noted that the video allegedly released by Shekau was a collective challenge to all well-meaning Nigerians desirous of peace and stability.

“The release of the video itself is a sad indication of the evident failure of strategies and efforts of government in tackling Boko Haram insurgency in particular and the myriads of equally horrendous security threats bedevilling the country.”

The council, therefore, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to decisively crush Boko Haram insurgency and restore order in the country, in line with his campaign promises.