2015-12-24 12:38:00

Nigerian Cardinal on success against Boko Haram militants


(Vatican Radio) Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Archbishop of Abuja, Nigeria, acknowledged on Thursday that the era of Boko Haram as an effective and organized fighting force holding large areas of territory was “now over.”  Cardinal Onaiyekan was reacting to President Buhari’s assertion that his nation has “technically won” the war against the Boko Haram Islamic militant group. At the same time, the Cardinal warned that the final battle to end the Boko Haram insurgency was not yet won and it would take time to defeat the remnants and restore full security to those parts of the countryside in Nigeria where "a lot of armed terrorists are still roaming about."  He was interviewed by Susy Hodges.

Listen to the interview with Cardinal John Onaiyekan:

The Nigerian cardinal expressed gratitude for the progress made against the Boko Haram by the government of Muhammadu Buhari  and said the Islamist group had been “technically dismantled” as a fighting force. However, Cardinal Onaiyekan pointed out that the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan had woken up belatedly to the threat posed by the group and the military had begun taking more effective measures to help turn the tide against Boko Haram.

The insurgency by Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria has caused the deaths of around 17,000 people, destroyed more than 1,000 schools and displaced more than 1.5 million people. 








All the contents on this site are copyrighted ©.