We Have Defeated Insurgency, But Facing Challenge Of Terrorism – Buratai

Lt. Gen Buratai
Lt. Gen Buratai

The chief of army staff, Tukur Yusuf Buratai has stated that insurgency has been defeated across the country, but the country is still under attack from terrorists.

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Speaking on Arise News channels, he further went on to state that insurgency is different from terrorism.

His words:

“We have defeated insurgency, but facing the challenge of terrorism. “There is no where you will not find Boko Haram – even in Lagos here, there are Boko Hatam. In Kaduna, there are Boko Haram. There are more across the North-east. Many have been arrested here in Lagos. We have been tracking them. We arrest them and take them into custody.

Buratai stressed that “We must differentiate between insurgency and terrorism. I have tried to tell them at the National Assembly. Someone said three local governments are under Boko Haram. How? These guys are not controlling any territory.

“They attempted to establish their territory, caliphate in Gwoza but they have not been able to because they were flushed out. That is insurgency. They are not holding any territory.

“Typically, that is the end if insurgency. But what of terrorism? Terrorism will outlive you and me and probably everybody in this house because terrorism, since it started, just like armed robbery, like kidnapping, burglary, cultism, it would continue, he added.

These are all smaller parts of terrorism. It is when it goes higher that you have arsons, like it happened in Borno yesterday, murder and so on deliberately, no cause.