Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed says Nigeria has recorded appreciable progress against Boko Haram under President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said that before the current administration assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into any city to impose taxes and install Emirs but all that has changed.
The minister spoke on Thursday during a meeting with the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN) in Lagos.
However, Lai Mohammed’s comment on imposition of taxes runs contrary to recent reports that farmers in many villages in the North-East and North-West were being compelled to pay taxes to insurgents before planting or harvesting crops, failing which severe punishments were meted.
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“Now, let’s put things in context. Before Mr. President assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into any city, especially in the north, to carry out deadly attacks. Abuja, the nation’s capital, Kano, Maiduguri, Jos, Damaturu, etc were regularly targeted,” he said.
“Motor parks, churches, mosques, shopping complexes were not spared. Today, that is a thing of the past. Suicide bombers used to
have a field day detonating their bombs and killing innocent people.
“Today, that is no longer the case. Detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used to be a deadly tactic of Boko Haram. Today, that has changed.
“Boko Haram used to occupy territory, deposing and installing Emirs and collecting taxes. That’s no longer the case. These changes are not mere happenstance. They are part of the successes recorded by the military, under this president,” Lai Mohammed stated.
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