The Defence Headquarters says no territory in Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram terrorists or the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Director of Defence Information, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu made this known on Monday during a press conference at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Speaking on the various military operations in the country, Nwachukwu said the outlawed terrorists remain decimated, stressing that the military is not resting on its oars to ensure that they are not only chad to the fringes of lake chad but are completely wiped out.
“Boko Haram is not holding any territory, any itch of our territory in this country. I want to make it very clear that Boko Haram and ISWAP have been decimated. They have been depleted and been pushed into what we call the tumbles,” he stated.
Speaking further, the Defence Spokesman said the tumbles comprise “the islands between Nigeria and the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.”
According to him, the terrorists usually hibernate in the nation’s neighbouring countries before carrying out their dastardly acts on soft targets.
While reiterating his earlier claim that Boko Haram isn’t holding any territory, Nwachukwu explained that the terrorists usually keep surveillance on some soft targets before striking.
Reacting to Sunday’s attacks in Yobe, the defence spokesman insisted that the terrorists were “severely dealt with.”
Nwachukwu’s claim comes six days after Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, begged the Nigerian Army to reclaim three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state still under the control of the insurgents.
While receiving the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd) at the Government House in Maiduguri, the governor listed the affected local governments as Marte, Kukawa, and Abadam LGAs.
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