Shekau’s Boko Haram has terrorised Nigeria since 2009 and the President Muhammadu Buhari led federal government has had a hard time curbing the murderous inclinations of the insurgents.

Shekau recently warned President Buhari not to visit Borno, the epicenter of the insurgency, but Nwachukwu tells THISDAY that the terrorist leader is just bluffing and his threats should be dismissed as empty boasts.

“Our president is free to go anywhere in the North-east whenever he feels like. Our troops are dominating the ground.

“I have told you the major terrorist strategy is hit and run; target women, soft targets and take off. That was why I called Shekau a rat. He is running about, hiding himself in holes. He does not have what it takes to confront the armed forces of Nigeria,” Nwachukwu says. 

He adds that the Boko Haram sect is factionalised and weaker for it. “The Armed Forces of Nigeria cannot be brought to their knees. That’s the truth. Boko Haram, having been defeated, I have told you why you must agree with me that Boko Haram has been depleted before they started fresh efforts to self-regenerate by embarking on recruitment drive.

“Between 2015, 2017 and 2018, Boko Haram was completely depleted; the leadership was in turmoil. That was why they were factionalised; that’s why Shekau lost grip on the group and that was why Albanawi took over.

“That’s why he was endorsed because Shekau couldn’t deliver. Why was Albanawi deposed? It is simply because he couldn’t deliver. Why was Mamman Nuhu eliminated? He was eliminated because he was not delivering and as a matter of fact, he was even compromising.

“But the fact is that they could not meet the force of the armed forces of Nigeria.

“Nigeria is not a ground for any terrorist caliphate. It’s not happening. That’s why we keep telling you that these guys are not holding any territory in Nigeria.”

The military chief says the army knows exactly where Boko Haram operates from. 

“Where they are is in the Lake Chad Basin where they have surrounded themselves with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and mines. What they do is hit and run.

“They hit soft targets to project themselves as being virile and potent. The strategy is to make themselves unreachable. We can conduct ground offensives to dislodge them and take over the place of course but what will be the outcome? There would be a lot of fatalities.

“They keep running in and out of the place, running across the border and running back. It is a hit-and-run kind of a thing. That was why I called Shekau a rat. He is running about, hiding himself in holes. He does not have what it takes to confront the armed forces of Nigeria,” he says. 

Boko Haram has killed more than 50,000 people, abducted hundreds and displaced millions from their homes since it commenced its decade-long insurgency against the Nigerian state.