Boko Haram Leader Named One of Time’s 100 Most Influential People, Blows Off Award Gala

The Daily Post of Nigeria finds it unsurprising that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau did not show up at Lincoln Center in New York to collect his award as one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”

“Many Nigerians have frowned at the selection of Shekau as one of the most influential persons on earth, having championed several attacks that sent many well-meaning Nigerians to early grave[s],” reports the Daily Post.

Time takes pains to note that people on the “Most Influential” list are not necessarily good people using their influence for constructive ends, although that distinction might understandably be lost on Boko Haram’s victims.  The “Most Influential” citation for Shekau was written by retired U.S. Army General Carter Ham, who calls the terrorist leader “the most violent killer” Nigeria has ever seen.

“By most accounts, Boko Haram has killed more than 10,000 people and is spreading into neighboring countries,” Ham writes. “Shekau’s latest action may finally summon a U.S. response: he has publicly aligned his group with ISIS, the terrorist group that holds territory in Syria and Iraq and has expanded its reach into Yemen and Libya.”