The National Publicity Secretary, All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the recent successes recorded against Boko Haram is a product of a methodical and focused approach adopted by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
Mohammed explained that unlike what obtained in the recent past, the sect no longer controls an inch of Nigerian territory; hence members of the sect had resorted to “lone wolf” suicide attacks on soft targets.
The APC Spokesperson said this in an address he presented at a dinner organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Abuja, on Thursday.
Mohammed, who was conferred with the award of Fellow of the NUJ for his contributions to the advancement of the journalism profession, said the Nigerian media had come of age.
According to him, the Nigerian mass media deserves all the accolades given to it because practitioners have over the years contributed immensely to nation building.
While commending the media for its coverage of the insurgency in the North-East, he said, “It is not just enough for the media to daily chronicle the attacks and the death tolls there from, they must also contextualise such reporting.
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“In other words, whereas there appears to have been a spike in Boko Haram attacks in recent times, what is indeed happening is that the terrorists have been forced to change tactics, because they have been weakened and put on the run.”
He also said, “Lone wolf suicide bombings and the choice of soft targets by retreating Boko Haram members are now the order of the day, as against the terrorists’ previous coordinated actions of seizing and holding territories.
“Today, not a single local government in Nigeria is under the control of Boko Haram, unlike in the recent past when they held a huge swath of territory, installed their own emirs and even collected taxes.
“This is not an accident. It is a result of the more methodical and focused approach of the present administration to the anti-terror fight, which includes the tightening of security at border locations that has made it difficult for the terrorists to manoeuvre. This approach is a far cry from the previous haphazard activities.”
Mohammmed also noted that the necessary structures for the effective coordination of the battle against the terrorists have been put in place both within and outside the country. He said credit for this should go to the regional rallying efforts of the Buhari administration.
The APC spokesman explained that vital international input and support have become more real and are adding value to the counter-terrorism campaign.
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