Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State has said compared to three years ago,  there was cause to celebrate the defeat of the Boko Haram insurgency in the country.

Shettima, on Tuesday, told the State House Correspondents, in Abuja, after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.

The governor who was accompanied on the visit to the villa by senators Ali Ndume and Abu Kyari, both from Borno State, said that given the situation the country found itself about three years ago as against what obtains now, it was safe to conclude that the insurgency war was over.

The governor who said the meeting was  on the upcoming presidential visit as well as the Army Day celebration, while responding to whether the issue of insurgency was part of what they discussed said, “Well, the ongoing insurgency problem is largely over. We might be having some hiccups but when you compare the past with the present, we have every cause to celebrate.

Related News

“We have pockets of the insurgents in inlands around the Lake Chad and the Sambisa forest but when you juxtapose the sorry state of affairs three, four years ago and the current situation we are in, I think there is cause for celebration. There is no cause for alarm.”

Troops of 112 Task Force Battalion deployed in operation LAFIYA DOLE, only on Saturday, while on clearance patrol to Anadawa village of Borno State, killed five Boko Haram terrorists.

In a statement, Director, Army Public Relations,  Brig.-Gen. Texas Chukwu, said items recovered during the operation included: One AK 47 rifle, One magazine, Four rounds of 7.62mm (special) ammunition and four Dane guns.

The President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has consistently maintained that the terrorist sect has been degraded.