Boko Haram crippled, can no longer take territory — President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari says the Boko
Haram terrorists have been degraded to the
extent that the group can no longer be seized and
hold on to any territory in the country.
In a statement made available to the News Agency
of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja, the
president made the remark at the 13th summit of
the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) in
Istanbul, Turkey.
Represented by the Minister of Education, Malam
Adamu Adamu, Buhari said government forces had
taken over all the territories seized by the
insurgents and destroyed their camps.
The president also said that most of the leaders of
the terrorist group had been arrested, while many
others had surrendered.
He commended Nigeria’s neighbouring countries,
Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin and the
international community for their support in the
fight against insurgency in the country.
Buhari also commended the OIC for its efforts in
ensuring peace world wide.
On the theme of the summit: ``Unity and Solidarity
for Justice and Peace,’’ Buhari noted that the
current precarious situation in the Muslim world
was a source of great concern.
``A multiplicity of crises and conflicts litter the
entire landscape of the Muslim World – from West
and North Africa through Central Asia to the Indian
subcontinent; from Jammu and Kashmir to Jakarta.
``And from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near
East to the Balkans; many member-states are
embroiled in conflicts threatening their very
existence and taking an unacceptable toll in human
lives and destruction of critical infrastructure.
``Muslim minorities in non-member-states like
Myammar, Philippines, Thailand and China; and
Muslim migrants in the West are still facing serious
political, cultural and economic challenges or
outright persecution,’’ he said.
The president, therefore, called on member-states
of the organization to rededicate themselves to the
struggle for peace and justice for Palestinians.
He said that Nigeria stood in full solidarity with the
Palestinians in their legitimate quest for an
independent state.
``The situation in Palestine remains bleak; the
scourge of terrorism and violent extremism
remains unabated.
``The drums of Islamaphobia, especially in the
countries with minority or migrant Muslims, are
being beaten to achieve mischievous political
objectives.
``Nigeria identifies with and fully supports the just
struggle of the people of Palestine against the
unjust occupation of their land and the oppression
of their people by Israel,’’ he said.
Buhari urged the Muslim world to take the path of
knowledge, stating that the future lay with the
cultivation of knowledge as the mainstay of the
economy.
``Nigeria fully supports all OIC efforts towards
cooperation in education, science and technology; it
also supports measures put in place to develop
intra-OIC trade, socio-economic infrastructures,
micro-finance sector, agriculture and health.
``Nigeria is already in the process of signing the
statute of the newly created Specialized Institution
for Food and Security based in Astana, Kazakhstan.
``It is to share our experiences in the areas of food
security and the introduction of an e-platform for
agricultural services in rural areas,’’ he added