Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State says Boko Haram has been decimated since President Muhammadu Buhari took office.
Noting, however, that the war against the sect is still on, he declared that “Borno is now free.”
He spoke yesterday during his visit to the Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Muhammad Sidi, in Abuja.
“10 months ago, one could not travel for 10 kilometres without encountering terrorists; Maiduguri was the only relatively safe haven,” he said.
“Yes, we still have occasional hiccups, but Boko Haram has been so decimated that they can no longer threaten the corporate existence of Nigeria.”
Shettima noted that peace was gradually returning to the state, expressing optimism that by year-end, all Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, would have returned to their homes.
Speaking, Sidi commended the governor for reconstructing liberated areas, urging him not to be deterred by occasional and isolated terrorist attacks on soft targets.
