Buhari administration's claim that Boko Haram has been defeated in the North East is a “lie. ”

The chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, Sani Mohammed, has said the claim by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration that Boko Haram has been defeated in the North East was a “lie. ”

Mohammed, who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, insisted that claims by the Buhari government that normalcy has been restored to the North East was a “lie”.

Addressing his colleagues over the weekend in Abuja, the lawmaker said the region has “failed”, adding that the region’s failure may affect other parts of the country.

According to Mohammed, “We just returned from an oversight function from Borno and Yobe states and I can say that the description that the northern part of Nigeria is under siege by Hon. Chika is an understatement.

“The Northern part of the country is failing. Actually, it has failed in so much part of it. My fear is that this grave situation will have a contagious effect on other parts of the country.

“On Thursday when we went to Maiduguri. Upon arrival, Boko Haram insurgents launched an attack on an IDPs camp called Dalori 2 which is just opposite the University of Maiduguri. They burned down a substantial part of that camp, killed eight people and abducted women and ran into the bush unchallenged.

“We went to Bama. The second most important town in Borno state which is also the exit point to three other countries; Chad, Niger and neighbouring Cameroon.”

He lamented that the Buhari administration had consistently said that Boko Haram insurgents had been “technically defeated” while the insurgents still controls some territories in the North East.

Mohammed stated that the Nigerian government’s acclaimed defeat of Boko Haram does not reflect the true situation on ground.

He said, “There are no 200 persons in Bama today. The talk of safety being restored, the talk of normalcy and stabilisation being restored in part of North-East is a farce, is a ruse. It’s not correct. It’s a lie.

“Before you will be escorted to any of those parts I’m talking about, you need almost a platoon of soldiers. Even the soldiers themselves, in spite of the encouragement we give them, the truth of the matter is that they are not confident.

“On Saturday, we travelled to Gashua in Yobe State. On our way back we were at Damaturu at exactly seven o clock, we could not move to Maiduguri which was just a distance of one hour. By six o clock, up till now there is no movement into Maiduguri. I wonder why my colleagues are not painting this picture on the floor of this parliament.

“So, we had to stay back in Maiduguri (Damaturu) with the only clothes we had. No towels, no brushes, until the following day when we were allowed by the security forces, including our escorts.” (Daily Post)