"Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever."
Nigeria is winning the war on terror and has successfully killed over 300 terrorist leaders in the past year, President Bola Tinubu said Tuesday.
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."
Between January and early September, over 3,566 terrorists were killed across the country. More than 5,000 others were apprehended, according to Defence Headquarters' tally.
Recently, PREMIUM TIMES reported how military operatives, in collaboration with local vigilantes, killed some terror kingpins, including the notorious 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."
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The military's fight against insecurity has intensified in the last couple of months, but PREMIUM TIMES understands that 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.
In many instances, the terrorists betrayed the trust, killing and abducting the locals. This situation has forced many locals out of their communities. Many of them are now refugees in urban areas.
Apart from the unfavourable government policies causing hardship for Nigerians, insecurity, especially in rural communities, has further worsened the situation, resulting in food insecurity.
The fight is unfinished, Tinubu admits
In his speech, the president acknowledged that the fight against terror 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."
