Anti-insurgency war largely won, Lai Mohammed replies critics

MINISTER of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mo­hammed, insisted yesterday that the military has largely met the December 31, dead­line given to it by President Muhammadu Buhari to defeat Boko Haram.

“Armchair critics who dispute these facts, from the comfort of their living rooms, are free to take a trip to the theatre of war to see things for themselves.

“Perhaps then, they will be more circumspect in issuing reckless statements that give nothing but succour to Boko Haram. I have gone to the theatre of war to see things for myself. I did not just stop in Maiduguri, I went all the way to Konduga, Kaure and Bama which, as I said, was once the headquarters of the Boko Haram caliphate,’’ Alhaji Mo­hammed said.

He said those who think the military has failed to meet the deadline are those who are either sympathisers of Boko Haram or are speaking out of ignorance .

Mohammed continues: “In a few days’ time, the deadline issued by President Buhari to the military to defeat Boko Haram will expire. Without equivocating,

“I will repeat what I said that has sparked a firestorm: Our gallant military has large­ly met the deadline! I make this assertion with all sense of responsibility and they are backed by facts,’’ the minister said at a meeting with editors in Lagos. But, between De­cember 27 and 28, the insur­gents attacked Maiduguri in Adamawa State and Borno State killing 50 people and in­juring scores.

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State took on Moham­med on Tuesday and accused him of not being sincere with Nigerians.

The minister reiterated his earlier statement that the mili­tary had massively degraded the capacity of the terrorists to carry out the kind of spec­tacular attacks they used to execute in the past, like the attacks on the Force Head­quarters and the UN Complex, both in Abuja.

Mohammed also said in just six months of the Buhari administration, Boko Haram that was in control of a ter­ritory larger than an entire geo-political zone in Nigeria “has been reduced to a fleeing, bomb throwing, cowardly and disorganised army.

“Among the areas where Boko Haram has been kicked out is Bama, which was the self-declared headquarters of their caliphate. From there, they collected taxes, dis­pensed jungle justice, deposed and installed emirs and hoist­ed their own flag.”

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