Atiku Abubakar - How I Will End Boko Haram If I Were President

Former vice president Atiku Abubakar has said the Boko Haram insurgency would not take place in the country if he were the president of Nigeria.

Abubakar noted he would have used all at his disposal to ensure that Boko Haram did not take place in any part of North-Eastern Nigeria and elsewhere in the country, if he was in control of government, Leadership reports.

The former vice president disclosed this Yola on Tuesday, November 15, during the distribution of relief materials to over 50,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at American University of Nigeria (AUN) drawn from all over IDPs camps across the state to commemorate his 70th birthday celebrations.

He recalled how a similar insurgent uprising was crushed when he served as vice president under the Obasanjo administration in 2002.

“If you recalled, while we are in office in 2002, such a small upraising similar to this Boko Haram, reared their head in Yobe State, then, we smashed it immediately.

“We never heard anything about it again, until we left government”

Abubakar said the Boko Haram insurgency required steadfast and decisive leadership to be stopped.

He regretted that Boko Haram took over seven of the 21 local government area of Adamawa during the previous administration.

He noted that what he did to prevent Boko Haram from completely over running Adamawa state is between him and Almighty God.

The politician said the Adamawa peace Initiative was put together to ensure peaceful coexistence of Adamawa state and its people.

The relief materials were distributed at Saint Theresa Catholic Church, the Jamatu Nasrul Islam Headquarters and American University of Nigeria (AUN) in Yola.

Meanwhile, Nigerians have condemned the country’s military over the demise of another top soldier who was killed by Boko Haram terrorists in Bita on their way to Yola in Adamawa state.

The soldier, identified as Lieutenant Colonel BU Umar, had about three weeks ago, taken over the 114 battalion which he was leading until he met his end.

The Army has already denied knowledge of the occurrence through its spokesperson Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, who said he was unaware of Lt Col Umar’s death.