Why military yet to wipe out Boko Haram - President

dimeji akinloye

May 18, 2016 6:57 PM

He added that the military has successfully recovered all territories that were lost to the terrorist sect.

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed corruption for the inability of the Nigerian military to quickly defeat Boko Haram insurgency.

Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, May 18, while receiving the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Egypt, Dr Ahmed El-Tayeb, Buhari said that the loss of 14 local government areas to Boko Haram had greatly tarnished the reputation of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

He, however, noted that with measures taken by his administration to curb corruption and provide better weaponry, logistics, training and welfare for soldiers on the frontlines, the Nigerian military has now almost totally incapacitated Boko Haram as a fighting force.

"When we curbed corruption and removed the injustice in the military, we began to make progress,’’ he said.

While welcoming the support of Muslims across the world for Nigeria's war against insurgency, the president said that the war against terrorism is also a war against injustice, and must be supported by Islam and all the major religions.

"You can't kill the innocent in churches or in mosques and shout Allahu Akbar,’’ he added.

Buhari noted that the visit of El-Tayeb and his expression of solidarity with Nigeria in the war against terrorism is a clear indication of global Muslim support for Nigeria against the unjust killings of the innocent by terrorists.

READ: ‘We’re doing our best to end terrorism,’ Buhari says

The president reaffirmed his administration's determination to resettle all persons who were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

He thanked the Grand Imam for the donation of educational and medical supplies as well as provision of scholarship to Nigeria's Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

dimeji akinloye