Three days after Boko Haram killed 60 mourners, presidency insists group ‘defeated’
The presidency on Tuesday restated its often repeated claim that the Boko Haram insurgency has been defeated.
The presidency’s stance is contained in a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu.
The position of the Nigerian government is that the Boko Haram terrorism has been degraded and defeated. The real Boko Haram we know is defeated, Mr Shehu wrote in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.
Mr Shehu’s comment comes three days after the Book Haram attacked a funeral procession in Borno State, killing at least 60 people.
The terror group has also killed scores of soldiers and civilians in the past few months in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.
Apart from the killings, the terror group has also kidnapped many aid workers and other civilians. Six of such aid workers kidnapped earlier in July are still with the terror group.
Mr Shehu, however, said:
What we have now is a mixture of remnants of the Boko Haram, fugitive criminals and the Islam in Maghreb together with West African terrorists bonding together.
He added:
Terrorist activities have been confined to the remote, rural agrarian areas of Borno State and pockets of outrages in Adamawa and Yobe States.
The federal government had been criticised by many Nigerians in the past for claiming the group has been defeated.
The Book Haram, which seeks an Islamic caliphate in Northern Nigeria, has caused tens of thousands of deaths. Millions of others have been displaced, mainly in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.
Premium Times
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