BOKO HARAM WILL LAST BEYOND DECEMBER 2015..BUHARI FINALLY ADMITS

President Muhammadu Buhari says desperate actions like detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices are likely to take a longer time to eradicate even as his administration's optimism continues to grow that Boko Haram will be crushed by December.

Buhari said this on Saturday in his message delivered at hospitals, palaces and Government Houses of Adamawa and Borno States by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, who led a Federal Government delegation to condole with their governments and people over the increased activities of Boko Haram terrorists.

The president's message was made available to State House journalists by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu who was part of the delegation.

Other members of the delegation were the Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Mala Mai Buni; a member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Tahir Munguno; a Permanent Secretary in the Office of the SGF, Bukar Maina; a leading figure in the APC, Alhaji Modi Aliyu Mahmood.

The president was also quoted to have said that even when all displaced communities were about to be returned to their town and villages, there would still remain "vital tests and challenges".

Buhari, in his message, said all Nigerians must work hard to eradicate all forms of extremism and join hands with security forces in detecting unrepentant terrorists embedded in their neighbourhoods.

He also charged all Nigerians to be watchful over any suspicious activity and report same to law enforcement agents for their prompt action.

"As I said a few times in the past, desperate actions such as the detonation of IEDs will take a longer time to eradicate even as our optimism continues to grow that Boko Haram as a fighting force will be crushed by the year’s end.
After that, we hope all displaced communities will be returned to their towns and villages. But even when this is about to happen, there will still remain vital tests and challenges.

Buhari further stated: "The security situation in the North East remains a great source of concern for me. Although there are clear indications that the military is recording great successes in the theatre of operations, the enemy has been able to carry out his murderous campaign by attacking soft targets using Improvised Explosive Devices. His intention is to create widespread fear amongst the civilian population since he cannot subdue our armed forces.

"The sporadic tactics used by these criminals is a sign that they are under intense pressure in the forests and in the countryside where they previously enjoyed a lot of freedom of action. The sheer tenacity displayed by our troops in the last three months has resulted in degrading the capacity of the enemy significantly. I am confident that the ability of the enemy to attack and seize towns and villages has been virtually neutralised".
Governors of Adamawa and Borno, Senator Jibrilla Bindow and Bukar Shettima respectively as well as their leading chiefs who received the delegations thanked the president for sending the delegation as well as his dogged efforts towards ending Boko Haram terrorism and securing the country.