Boko Haram terrorists have killed no fewer than 5,873 Nigerians between December 2020 and May 2023, a report has said.
SBM Intelligence in its report released on Friday said the number of fatalities was recorded in 430 incidents.
The report added that Borno leads with the highest number of fatalities, followed by Yobe, Niger, Kastina, and Adamawa states. Others are Taraba, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano and Nasarawa states, FCT, and Ondo State.
The report noted that although the military had recorded progress in the fight against the terrorists, the war was far from over.
It partly read, “Nigeria’s longest-running insurgency entered its 13th year at the start of 2023. Over the past two years, the military has made significant strides against the terrorist group, aided by modern military hardware, including Tucano jets.”
Meanwhile, it said the terrorist group’s expansion into the North-Central and North-West indicated that the work remained unfinished.
The Director-General, International Institute of Professional Security, Tony Ofoyetan, urged the new administration, led by President Bola Tinubu, to devise a unique strategy to tackle the insurgency.
He stated, “There is something with the call signature of terrorists. This is when terrorists carry out attacks to show they are still in control, but a sensible government will not rush to attack them. A sensible government will carefully look at the signature and pattern of terrorist attacks and find out why previous governments failed.”
A security expert, Timothy Avele, charged the President and the new service chiefs to end the terrorism, saying the attacks and casualty figures were high. He described the fight against terrorism as a tough game.
He added, “So far the security, intelligence agencies and the military have greatly improved compared to about three years ago, but there is still a lot to be done to bring the terrorists to their knees.
“Perhaps, this new set of service chiefs will work together, backed by the President to end it once and for all or at least reduce their potency to the barest minimum. It can be done once the political will is there and they work together instead of working at cross-purposes. Sadly, it’s easier said than done, simply because terrorism is one of the most powerful political tools available.”
(PUNCH)
