5,000 Boko Haram Terrorists In Military Net, Says Buratai

• 32 bomb factories destroyed, thousands killed

No fewer than 5,475 suspected Boko Haram members have been killed while tens of thousands have been killed by troops, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai has said.

Gen. Burutai spoke at the 16th annual conference and Awards of the Security Watch Africa Initiatives held in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The COAS who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans (CPLANS) Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun said 32 bomb-making factories have been destroyed by troops.

According to him, the strength of the terrorists had been significantly reduced from an estimated 35,000 to less than 5,000, adding that the war was clearly being won by the army.

Delivering a keynote address titled “Role of the Nigerian Army in combating internal insecurity and external aggression in Nigeria: Global lessons and way forward,” Gen. Buratai said: “Tens of thousands of the terrorists were killed, 5,475 of them were arrested and 32 bomb-making facilities/ factories have been destroyed. In addition, the number of Boko Haram fighters has been reduced significantly to less than 5,000 from the initial estimate of over 35,000 persons.

“It is equally acknowledged that the Army has lost officers and soldiers in the course of containing this internal security threat to the state. Clearly, through the efforts of the Nigerian Army, we are winning the war against Boko Haram.”

Buratai said statistics from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) indicated that Boko Haram have killed between 30,000 to 100,000 people, displaced over two million persons being accommodated in about 35 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and generated a refugee population of about 200,000 persons.

Acknowledging that combating the insurgents would require both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches, Gen. Buratai said Nigerians must realise the long-drawn nature of the battle and the need for persistence.

He added: “There must be a determined political will by the ruling elite to fight terrorism and insurgency, which is to be based on ‘all government approach’, involving the executive, legislative and judicial arms of government. This was demonstrated by the USA in her over a decade’s pursuit and eventual hunting down of Osama bin laden. It took determination and a clear focus on the goal.