Earlier this week, the senator representing Borno Central Senator Baba Kaka Garba, said that about half of the territory in the state is still under the control of Boko Haram. His comments came after a tape recording of soldiers fighting in the northeast revealed that the terrorists still control at least four local government areas in Borno State.
Governor Kashim Shettima has vehemently denied this, adding that as far as he is aware, not one of the local government areas in the state is being controlled by the terrorists. Lending his voice to the debate, President Buhari said he too is not aware of them holding on to any territory, although he promised to redouble his government’s efforts to fight the insurgents.
Speaking yesterday, President Buhari made the declaration at a joint briefing with the visiting German president Joachim Guack, at the presidential villa in Abuja. He declared that none of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria is under the control of the Boko Haram insurgents.
President Buhari said: “It is a pity Boko Haram welcomed you by explosions in Maiduguri that took so many lives but I have attempted to explain in so many forums that Boko Haram is not what it used to be. While they were firmly holding 14 out of 774 local governments when we came in, they are not holding any local government now.
What they have resorted to is using improvised explosive devices to cause maximum casualties on soft targets and that’s what they are capable of doing now. They send groups to go and kill vulnerable targets but having said that, our efforts have to be redoubled to make sure that the people in internally displaced camps have been rehabilitated, especially the children."
Responding, President Guack consoled Nigeria for the recent terror attacks in the country and commended President Buhari for his approach against Boko Haram. He announced a donation for Nigerian’s joint forces with neighbouring countries and pledged more in the future to defeat of the terrorists.
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