Nigeria has recently trumpeted a major victory in its battle against Boko Haram, claiming that its army has routed the jehadis from their forest bastion, but the war against them is far from over.

After years of devastating battles and a recent surge in attacks, the fear in Nigeria is that Boko Haram will simply decamp from the Sambisa forest enclave to other areas nearby.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari announced on Christmas Eve that a months-long campaign had led to the “final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa Forest”.

The Nigerian military said troops were chasing fleeing Boko Haram militants, claiming that the fight against the jehadis was in its final stages.

But on Thursday, Boko Haram’s elusive leader Abubakar Shekau appeared in a video to dispute the Government’s claim.

“We are safe. We have not been flushed out of anywhere,” Shekau said in the 25-minute video, flanked by masked armed fighters.

As access to the conflict zones is heavily restricted, claims from both sides cannot be independently verified.

According to a military source who asked not to be named, Boko Haram jehadis have been “tremendously weakened and are trying to avoid confrontation ... By hiding in some obscure locations.”

Islamists routed from Sambisa have reportedly fled to areas on the edge of the forest, islets on lake Chad as well as villages on the Cameroon border.

“They were sighted in large numbers in ... The Kala-Balge area,” said a vigilante helping in the fight, referring to a region near Cameroon.