Buhari insists B’Haram has been defeated, says sect attacks are ‘last kicks of a dying horse’

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday insisted that Boko Haram has been defeated by his administration.

He said that suicide bombing and other attacks currently being carried out by the terrorist group are mere “last kicks of a dying horse”.

Buhari who stated this when he spoke at the commissioning of the Pulaaku Radio in Yola, Adamawa State on Sunday, assured Nigerians that his administration is taking the necessary measures to end the attacks.

He was represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at the occasion. He insisted that the insurgent organisation has been massively degraded and its surviving members put on the run.

Aisha Yesufu, BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) co-convener, had last week Tuesday made mockery of claims by Buhari’s government that Boko haram has been defeated.

She had on her Twitter account in reaction to the bomb blast at Adamawa mosque, Mubi said, “What a tragedy! What sadness! Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiun. May the soul of those that died in the Mubi suicide bombings rest in peace. May the injured be healed.

“The government must do more to protect citizens. Enough of we have won the war propaganda. Citizens are dying. The Nigerian life must matter for the Nigerian government to protect lives and properties.”

But speaking at the event in Adamawa on Sunday, Buhari said, “Instead of being hunters, they (Boko Haram members) are now the hunted. In their desperation to stay relevant, they have resorted to the wicked and dastardly act of using innocent under-aged children to carry out suicide bomb attacks.

“But what we are witnessing now are the last kicks of a dying horse. Yes, these kicks may be dangerous, but they don’t last long. Progressively, they become weaker and weaker until the horse finally dies.”

Speaking further, President Buhari said that the war against Boko Haram has moved to the next phase, which is intelligence-driven, with a view to ending the suicide bombings.

“That is why I approved the establishment of an intelligence fusion centre in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to gather and share intelligence among security agencies in the country. This will go a long way in ending this campaign of suicide bombing,” he said.

According to the president the new phase would depend largely on information and communication, and therefore rallied the media, especially radio and television stations, to play their part in enlightening the populace.

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“We are building on the nationwide campaign we launched last year, with the payoff line: ‘If you see something, say something’. It simply means that we need everyone to be involved in getting the necessary information to tackle the terrorists. They are not ghosts, and some of them live among us. We must all, therefore, support our gallant troops, many of whom have made the supreme sacrifice in this war, by providing information that can help rid our communities of terrorists

“It is important for the media – especially radio and television – to continue to play their part in this war, by offering their platforms to communicate useful information to the populace. As part of our sensitization campaign, which is still running on national radio and television as we speak, we put out those little signs that give up the terrorists, and which the people must watch out for. Help us communicate this information to the people,” he said.

The statement of the president at the event was made available to newsmen in a statement released by Special Assistant to the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi.

 

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