PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has said his administration made significant progress in the fight against insecurity 16 months after he took over power.
The President claimed victory over Boko Haram and banditry in different parts of Nigeria.
Tinubu, in his national broadcast on the occasion of Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary, on October 1, noted that peace had been restored in many previously troubled communities in Nigeria, particularly in the northern region that had long suffered from insurgency.
He noted that within the first year of his administration, over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders were eliminated, particularly in the North-East and North-West regions.
“Our administration is winning the war on terror and banditry. Our target is to eliminate all the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent extremism. Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever.
“As of the last count, over 300 Boko Haram and bandit commanders have been eliminated by our gallant troops in the North-East, North-West, and some other parts of the country.
We have restored peace to hundreds of communities in the North, and thousands of our people have been able to return home. It is an unfinished business, which our security agencies are committed to ending as quickly as possible,” he added.
Although Tinubu acknowledged that work was far from over, data gathered by The ICIR showed that in one year, over 7,000 people were reportedly killed in various attacks during the President’s one year in office.
The ICIR ’s data showed that Sokoto is the fourth most terrorised state in the affected regions. Between the day Tinubu took over power, on May 29, 2023, and August 23, 2024, more than a thousand people were killed in Zamfara and Katsina states.
Also, over 800 people were killed in Kaduna, with 423 deaths recorded.
This rising trend of insecurity depicts that the government is yet to clamp down on terrorism and banditry attacks in most parts of the country as the President claimed.
Meanwhile, Tinubu has assured Nigerians that his administration remained committed to eliminating all forms of violent extremism.
He stressed that as soon as the government restored peace to many communities in the troubled parts of the North, many farmers could return to their farms.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M