Former
Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Saturday countered claims by the Nigerian
government that the terrorist Boko Haram group has been defeated.
Speaking in Yola, the
Adamawa State capital, at the 11th Founder’s Day Ceremony of the American
University of Nigeria (AUN), the former vice president said Boko Haram remained
deadly, and that it was premature to declare that the insurgency was over.
“The insurgents still
occupy a specific geographical space,” Atiku said. “They (Boko Haram) still
retain the capacity for occasional deadly attacks. Many citizens in the zone
still remain vulnerable and live in fear.”
The former vice
president’s comments appeared to counter repeated claims by President Muhammadu
Buhari and his information minister, Lai Mohammed, that Boko Haram had been
defeated, and was no longer holding any territory in the country.
In his 2016
Independence Day speech, October 1, Mr. Buhari insisted the sect was defeated
in December 2015 even as the group continued its onslaught across the
Northeast, launching deadly attacks and killing soldiers and civilians.
But in his Saturday
speech, which was emailed to Premium Times, Atiku said it was premature for
anyone to claim victory over Boko Haram at this time.
Like Mr. Buhari, Atiku
belongs to the ruling All Progressives Congress, a shaky political platform,
whose leading members have bickered consistently since it came to power in mid
2015.
“We cannot say that the
problem is over until every displaced person is able to return home, to the
office, to the market, to the farm, and resume normal activities,” the
politician said.
- Premium Times
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