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‘You failed woefully on your promise about Boko Haram,’ Middle Belt Forum tells Buhari

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The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) Tuesday berated President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to secure lives and properties in the country.

The group was reacting to the president’s claim on the decimation of the Boko Haram sect.

Buhari had in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said God has helped his administration to “clear the terror group in the North-East.

The president, who said the threat of terrorism was the most critical security challenge inherited by his government, expressed delight that normalcy had returned to affected states in the North-East.

But in a statement issued by its president, Bitrus Pogu, the Forum insisted that Buhari has failed woefully to deliver his promise of completely eliminating Boko Haram from the country.

The MBF lamented that the president rather than fulfilling his promise to Nigerians watched helplessly while the insurgents moved from North-East to all parts of the country and wreaked havoc on communities.

Pogu said: “Just two days to Christmas, Boko Haram attacked Chibok and killed two people, an elderly person, and a toddler. They also abducted some people who were preparing for Christmas. What that tells you is that Boko Haram activities are still on. Their operational headquarters are still there. Many activities of Boko Haram in the North are even not reported.

“There are extensions of Boko Haram in the North-West and in the North-Central. They have been attacking parts of Kaduna State right to even the end of last year. So then what does his fulfilling his promise mean?

READ ALSO: Victory over Boko Haram insurgents, bandits within sight – Buhari

“Is it saying that they have stopped one aspect of their activities which is bombing targets across the country; and now they have introduced kidnappings and attacking people and communities? Is that what it means?

“It is for Nigerians to judge whether the President has done what he promised in 2015. At that time he told us that it would be history, that he would eliminate Boko Haram.

“First of all we were deceived, a flag was brought to him, ground zero whatever, we knew it was not true and the attacks continued. And then it spread to the North-West, parts of the North-Central and now it is all over the place including South-West, South-East and even South-South.

“So Nigerians who are the ones who feel the brunt would answer him appropriately that Mr. President you failed woefully and have not fulfilled the promise you made to make Boko Haram history in Nigeria.

“We need the greater political will to ensure that the military go after them to decimate them and not to wait in a location to repel Boko Haram or bandits as they have renamed them in the North-West and other places.

“So we need a leader who will uproot them and give Nigeria’s space back to Nigerians so that you can travel to any part of the country without fear.”

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