President Goodluck Jonathan has stated that it might
take Nigerian soldiers “within a month” to recapture towns seized by
Boko Haram insurgents in the northern part of the country.
The President made the statement in an interview the BBC aired on Friday, March 20, 2015, in which Mr President said that the Nigerian military hopes to recapture towns seized by Boko Haram within a month, in what would be a swift victory after six years of bloody conflict.
Speaking during the interview, Jonathan, who is seeking re-election on March 28, said Boko Haram was “getting weaker and weaker every day”.
“I’m very hopeful that it will not take us more than a month to recover old territories that hitherto have been in their hands,” he told the BBC.
Experts believe Jonathan’s statement might be because the Islamist militants have proved recently that they are still capable of carrying out deadly hit-and-run strikes.
Nigeria
has recently recorded major victories against the insurgents with the
help of coalition partners Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
The Nigerian military had during the week said that two out of three of the worst-hit northeast states, Yobe and Adamawa, have been declared “cleared” while the third, Borno, is expected to be liberated “soon”.
Major towns such as Bama and Dikwa are among some 36 localities recaptured, with just three said to be still in rebel hands.
Also, National security adviser, Mike Omeri, said on Wednesday that “the final onslaught” was under way.
More than 13,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict and the main opposition candidate, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has campaigned hard on the government’s security record.
There
have been fears about the safety of voters ahead of the forthcoming
general elections across Nigeria after a spate of suicide attacks in the
north in recent weeks and after Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowed
to disrupt the election.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security Network of analysts on Thursday warned that Boko Haram would revert to its guerrilla campaign of bombings and suicide attacks in the face of military pressure.
The President made the statement in an interview the BBC aired on Friday, March 20, 2015, in which Mr President said that the Nigerian military hopes to recapture towns seized by Boko Haram within a month, in what would be a swift victory after six years of bloody conflict.
Speaking during the interview, Jonathan, who is seeking re-election on March 28, said Boko Haram was “getting weaker and weaker every day”.
“I’m very hopeful that it will not take us more than a month to recover old territories that hitherto have been in their hands,” he told the BBC.
Experts believe Jonathan’s statement might be because the Islamist militants have proved recently that they are still capable of carrying out deadly hit-and-run strikes.
President Jonathan
The Nigerian military had during the week said that two out of three of the worst-hit northeast states, Yobe and Adamawa, have been declared “cleared” while the third, Borno, is expected to be liberated “soon”.
Major towns such as Bama and Dikwa are among some 36 localities recaptured, with just three said to be still in rebel hands.
Also, National security adviser, Mike Omeri, said on Wednesday that “the final onslaught” was under way.
More than 13,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict and the main opposition candidate, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has campaigned hard on the government’s security record.
Boko Haram insurgents.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Security Network of analysts on Thursday warned that Boko Haram would revert to its guerrilla campaign of bombings and suicide attacks in the face of military pressure.
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