NIGERIAN President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday said that the military had so far rescued 11,595 persons held captive by the Boko Haram sect between May 29, 2015 when he was inaugurated and February 2016.
He said since December 2015, the military had regained all territories hitherto occupied by the sect.
These were contained in a document entitled ‘Fact sheet on President Muhammadu Buhari’s first year in office’ made available to journalists by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity.
The document highlighted the achievements of the administration under categories such as security, anti-corruption war, economy, power, environment and judiciary among others.
The statement read in part, “The relocation of the Nigerian Military Command Centre to Maiduguri, since May 2015, contributed to the success in the fight against insurgency in the North Eastern part of the country.
“As of February 2016, the total number of persons rescued by the Nigerian troops during the ongoing operations in the North East came to 11,595.
“Since December 2015, the well-motivated and rejuvenated Nigerian military have regained all Nigerian territories previously under Boko Haram control.”
According to the document, the present administration prioritised regional cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency and violent extremism, through the operations of the 8,500 strong Multi-National Joint Task Force in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, currently headed by a Nigeria military general.
It added that Nigeria has provided $21m to the Task Force since June 2015 and is committed to an additional $79m, bringing the total of Nigeria’s commitment to the Task Force to $100m.
Another major stride of the administration, the statement stated, is the Trans National Organised Crime where the President reportedly got partnership with regional allies in the fight against the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons.
On anti-corruption war, the statement said although the campaign was gaining ground with several high profile cases already in the courts, the administration is being guided by the rule of law in the prosecution of corruption cases.
It said Buhari enlisted the support of multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, security agencies, Western countries and other friendly nations to locate and repatriate stolen assets.
