Boko Haram insurgents have been largely defeated and are incapable of carrying out any major attacks in Nigeria.
This is a statement made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, on Monday while addressing reporters in Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
“For anybody to know and appreciate what the military has done, cast your mind back to this time last year (2014), when 20 out of 27 local governments in Borno State were in the firm control of Boko Haram and six local governments in Yobe State and four in Adamawa State were in their control, till today when you probably have one or two local governments where they are still trying to operate from.
“That will give you an idea as to what the military has achieved in the last couple of months. The Army has been able to decimate them as they have been decapitated and lack the capacity to launch the kind of attacks they used to launch before,” Mr Mohammed said.
Deadline Met
The Minister also said the recent pockets of violence carried out by the sect were indications that the terrorist group was living in its last days.
“When we say that the Boko Haram has been largely defeated, we are actually vindicated by the fact that even what happened till Christmas is the kind of thing you expect from any insurgency, because they know they are on their way out.
“Boko Haram insurgency, like any insurgency, is not a conventional war. We are not saying that by December 31, there will be no more attacks, bombings or suicides; that is the nature of insurgency. It is for us in Nigeria today as civilians to also own the war and supply the missing link,” he said.
According to the Minister, the Federal Government believes that the deadline of ending the insurgency in the disturbed northeast has been met.
President Muhammadu Buhari had expressed confidence that the Boko Haram sect’s ability to attack, seize, ravage and hold any Nigerian territories would be completely obliterated by the end of 2015.
The President said that with greater support from his administration in terms of improved training, equipment, logistics and welfare, the Nigerian Armed Forces were well positioned to meet the December deadline.
The Service Chiefs have since been assuring Nigerians that the deadline would be met.
While the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, said the military was working hard to succeed in meeting up with the December deadline, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, said that part of his strategy was to ensure a good and healthy life for his men.
