Buhari: We have considerably downgraded Boko Haram, bandits

President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has “considerably downgraded” security threats such as Boko Haram insurgency and banditry.

Buhari, who said this in his Democracy Day nationwide broadcast on Friday, added that all forms of crimes across the country had also been reduced.

But the president said he regretted the recent attacks in Borno where at least 80 were reportedly killed by Boko Haram insurgents, saying the attackers took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ending insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality across the nation is being accorded appropriate priorities and the men and women of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have considerably downgraded such threats across all geo-political zones,” the president said.

“All the Local Governments that were taken over by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have long been recovered and are now occupied by indigenes of these areas who were hitherto forced to seek a living in areas far from their ancestral homes.

“The total collapse of the economies of these areas, which constituted a threat to our food security, has also been reversed with the gradual recovery of farming and other economic activities.

“I regret recent sporadic incidents with tragic loss of lives in Katsina and Borno States as a result of criminals taking advantage of COVID-19 restrictions. Security Agencies will pursue the perpetrators and bring them to swift justice.”

The president asked states and local governments to revamp their intelligence assets to enable security agencies to “nip in the bud any planned attacks in remote rural areas”.

‘NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS RECORDED IN ANTI-GRAFT WAR, ECONOMY’

Buhari also said his government has recorded “notable achievements” in the course of implementing its nine priority objectives, including in the economic sector and in the anti-graft war.

“On the economic front, our objectives have remained to stabilise the macro-economy, achieve agricultural and food security, ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products, develop infrastructure, fight corruption and improve governance,” he said.

“We have witnessed eleven quarters of consecutive GDP growth since exiting recession. The GDP grew from 1.91% in 2018 to 2.27% in 2019 but declined to 1.87% in the first quarter of 2020 as a result of the decline in global economic activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Every single economy in the world has suffered a decline. Ours has been relatively moderate.”

He said anti-corruption agencies have also secured more than 1,400 convictions and recovered funds in excess of N800 billion, adding: “These monies are being ploughed into development and infrastructure projects.”