Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a press conference in Abuja, on Tuesday denied the resurgence of Boko Haram terrorist group despite the recent attacks carried out by the sect.
In a statement issued by the minister’s special assistant, Segun Adeyemi, Mohammed insisted that the terrorist group remains largely decimated, dispersed and disoriented.
He said the recent spate of attacks by the sect is not a yardstick to believe the terrorists have resurrected, noting that anyone who is familiar with the flow of insurgency will not be surprised by the recent attacks.
“During the immediate period after an insurgency has been degraded, the fact that terrorists are dispersed into the community is often followed by an upsurge of terror attacks in the form of suicide bombing and sabotage of critical facilities.
“Activities during these periods are often carried out within population and against soft targets or vulnerable groups. There is often apprehension in the community that terrorism is getting worse, even though, in reality, insurgency has been weakened as a cohesive terror force. This is the current phase of insurgency in the country,” he said.
Mohammed, who condemned the recent attacks, sympathized with families that lost their loved ones and pleaded with Nigerians to be cautious of their statement in order to avert giving succour to the sect which flourishes on propaganda. “
Many commentators have latched on to these attacks to infer a resurgence of Boko Haram, while some have even made outrageous statements regarding the territories controlled by Boko Haram. Fortunately, no less a personality than the President, strongly backed by the Governors of Borno and Yobe, has debunked such unsubstantiated claims.
“Gentlemen, there is no resurgence of Boko Haram. The terrorists remain massively degraded and largely defeated. The recent string of attacks is not an indication that Boko Haram is bouncing back,” he said. He urges Nigerians to support the military in the fight against the blood thirsty group in order to consolidate the great achievements recorded so far.
“We want to appeal to all not to say or do anything that will demoralize our gallant men and women in uniform, who are daily fighting – and sometimes paying the supreme price – so that we can all be safe. Having travelled to the theatre of operations myself, I have seen the huge sacrifices of our military. They deserve nothing but our undiluted support. This is the best form of appreciation we can show them at this time. Anything else is counter-productive. Commendation, not condemnation. Support, not second guessing. That’s what we owe the gallant troops,” Mohammed said.
The minister further stated that appropriate measures in line with global best practices will be put in place to ensure effective response to highly-vulnerable communities.
“These include the strengthening of intelligence and security, especially in the affected communities, and the stepping up of the reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement efforts.
“While these efforts are going on, the government enjoins members of the public to be vigilant; security conscious, and to cooperate with security agencies by providing information on suspicious and strange objects, activities and persons in their communities. By doing these, we will be denying terrorists a safe haven and the opportunity to carry out their atrocities,” Mohammed said.
The minister reiterated the efforts made in the past nine months by the government to effectively tackle Boko Haram. “The Administration has succeeded in galvanizing our neighbouring countries and the global community, including major powers, towards the defeat of insurgency and the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the communities and population most affected by terrorism.
“Boko Haram has been dislodged from their occupied territories; thousands of their captives have been set free; their capacity to operate as a troop moving in convoy of vehicles and motor cycles to launch attacks on communities and military formations has been neutralized. In essence, the insurgents have been effectively denied territory or sanctuary and are now in disarray. Scattered, demoralized and hungry, they have resorted to terror tactics available to a degraded and defeated insurgent group. The fact that they operate in a few local governments does not equate to holding and controlling territories. We must make that distinction,” he said.
Mohammed recently claimed that the Nigerian army met the December deadline given them by President Muhammadu Buhari to wipe out Boko Haram. He was recently blamed by Nigerians following a deadly attack on Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. Some of his critics blamed the attack on the minister for “technically” awakening the insurgents.