Despite the military’s renewed offensive on insurgency, National Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Kayode Ajulo has said that Nigeria is yet to record any major victory against Boko Haram.
Ajulo said this while reportedly assessing President Muhammadu Buhari’s achievements after 100 days in office.
Ajulo said “Nigerians would agree that the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east remains the most dreadful threat confronting the nation. Unconfirmed reports state that over twenty thousand people have been killed since 2010.
“Reuters, an international news wire service, reported in August that about four hundred thousand Nigerians live as refugees in camps in Niger, Cameroon, and Chad.
“The National Emergency Management Agency also estimated the number of displaced persons who have sought refuge in the camps that have been established across Northern Nigeria running into several hundreds of thousands. “During campaign, Candidate Buhari promised to address the insurgency squarely and firmly, and within six months, put an end to the activities of the extremist sect across the North-east.
“It is also on record that six weeks to the election, renewed counter-insurgency operations began to bear fruit as the insurgents were routed on every side by the nation’s security forces who had received much needed arms and ammunition to successfully prosecute the war against terrorism.
“It was therefore a huge shock to all Nigerians when after the May 29inauguration, the Boko Haram enacted a come-back, hitting at the nation with unprecedented ferocity. June and July 2015 witnessed perhaps even more wanton spillage of blood and senseless murder of Nigerians by the terrorists than the preceding months. Even more surprising to Nigerians was the president’s declaration of his willingness to negotiate with the insurgents in the name of seeking peace.
“Nigerians are now left to wonder if the promise to end insurgency is just one of those “little white lies” that politicians love to tell the electorate when they are still seeking votes. While the appointment of seemingly capable officers as service chiefs generated enthusiasm and hope across the nation, Nigerians are yet to record major victories in the war against Boko Haram.”