NATIONAL: Boko Haram has been technically degraded, insists Defence minister, Magashi

“Nigerian Army, one of the best in Africa, despite security challenges”

THE Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), has restated the Federal Government’s claim that the Book Haram terrorists have been technically defeated, especially in Borno State.

He, however, noted that the terrorist sect just continue to launch occasional fatal attacks in a last-ditch effort to instill fear in Nigerians, attract the attention of the international community and embarrass the country, particularly the Buhari Administration.

Magashi spoke while featuring on a Channels TV programme ‘Politics Today’ monitored by Naija Times last night.

“They (Boko Haram terrorists) are not concentrated in one particular place, it is an operation that they hit and run, we don’t even know their bases. Now, we know that the best way to fight these people is to get enough intelligence and go out there to fight them and this is what we are doing. Every day, we are getting information and the Nigerian Army and Air Force are running them down.

 “They don’t hold any ground in Borno State. The only thing with this kind of insurgent operation is that they want to surprise you, embarrass you and do whatever they think will attract international news or commotion.

“That is what they have been doing and that is why we are trying very hard to adopt tactics and other forms of operations in order to stop these people embarrassing this nation.”

The defence minister, however, said despite the myriad security challenges bedeviling the country the Nigerian Army  remains one of the best in Africa.

He noted that the country’s army can confront and defeat any enemy when provided the right arsenals and assistance.

He cited the exploits of the Nigerian Army in many foreign interventions in West Africa and other parts of the continent to buttress his points.

He said, “In Africa, Nigerian Army should be adjudged one of the best, we have conducted so many operations outside Nigeria. We went to ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group), we did the very best we can. We went to Sierra Leone, we did the very best we can and some other places. We are a force that is reckon with in Africa but because of the nature of the prolongation of this war, people are getting tired.

Magashi expressed optimism that though Nigeria has not been receiving the needed support from some nations, the country is determined to get rid of the Boko Haram sect.

“At the moment, most people think because of these sporadic attacks here and there, we lost control or we are not doing our best. Most people know the problem of this country; the Armed Forces are overstretched, we are not supported by some of these countries we call our friends, they are not ready to give us what we need. But certainly, Nigeria is better of than what it was years ago,” he stated.