President Bola Tinubu declared on Tuesday that Nigeria is victorious in the fight against terrorism, having eliminated more than 300 terrorist leaders in the last year.
Mr Tinubu, speaking in a televised broadcast to mark Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary, said, “Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever.”
“As of the last count, over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders have been eliminated by our gallant troops in the Northeast, Northwest, and some other parts of the country,” he said.
‘We are winning the war’
The president praised his administration for “winning the war on terror and banditry.” He further noted that his government’s target “is to eliminate all the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent extremism.”
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In the nation, roughly 3,566 terrorists were slain between January and early September. A total of almost 5,000 individuals were captured, as reported by Defence Headquarters.
Military operations, in partnership with local vigilantes, assassinated various terror kingpins, including the renowned Halilu Sububu.
In light of the success achieved, the president said his administration has “restored peace to hundreds of communities in the north, and thousands of our people have been able to return home.”
The military’s fight against insecurity has intensified in the last couple of months . Several communities are still under the control of terrorists in states like Zamfara, Katsina and Niger. The terrorists force locals and farmers to enter into a truce so they can stop terrorising them.
Terrorists killed and kidnapped residents on several occasions, betraying their trust. Many locals have been compelled to leave their communities as a result of this circumstance. These days, a large number of them are urban refugees.
The president stated in his speech that combating terrorism is an “unfinished business which our security agencies are committed to ending as quickly as possible. As soon as we can restore peace to many communities in the troubled parts of the North, our farmers can return to their farms”
“We expect to see a leap in food production and a downward spiral in food costs. I promise you, we shall not falter on this.”
