Army ready to end 'romance' with Boko Haram leader

Theatre Commander of

The army boss disclosed this while speaking during the monthly press briefing of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, Borno, on Wednesday, February 14, 2018.

Maj-Gen Nicholas reported that troops, especially under Operation DEEP PUNCH II, has recorded remarkable success against the terrorist group since he took over in December 2017.

When questioned over a recent video where Shekau declared that he was ready to die than bear the calamity that has befallen his terrorist group, Maj-Gen Nicholas said the army will do anything to apprehend him.

He said, "That is the statement of somebody who has already been defeated. He has seen what he has never seen before. We've romanced Shekau enough, so enough of the romance. We want him anyhow, dead or alive."

$1 biillion not enough to fight Boko Haram

During the briefing, Maj-Gen Nicholas also mentioned that the $1 billion controversially withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account is "grossly inadequate" because of the military costs of fighting the terrorists.

He further urged Boko Haram militants to come out of Sambisa Forest, lay down their arms and surrender to the Nigerian Army as they're fighting a lost cause.

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Boko Haram menace

Since the insurgency of the terrorist group escalated after a 2009 crackdown by the military, Boko Haram, chiefly under Shekau's leadership, has been responsible for the death of over 20,000 people and the displacement of more than 2.5 million scattered across Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps across the country and its neighbours.

After a massive military operation resulted in the displacement of the group from its Camp Zairo base in the infamous Sambisa Forest, it has resorted to suicide bomb attacks on soft targets and carried out daring attacks on military bases, with hundreds of captives still unaccounted for.