The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has declared that 60 per cent of Boko Haram insurgents are not Nigerians.
Speaking in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Wednesday when he received the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, at the headquarters of the Theatre Command of Operation Lafiya Dole at the Maimalari Cantonment, the Army Chief said most of the insurgents were from neighbouring countries.
According to Buratai, the insurgents have been defeated but troops would continue with their operations until the terrorists finally surrender.
He said, “Your Excellency, I want to bring to your attention that while the Boko Haram (insurgency) can be said to have started in Nigeria, by and large as at today, I can say that almost 60 per cent of the insurgents are from our neighbouring countries.
“You can see that almost all of the recently surrendered insurgents are not Nigerians.
“This is a challenge that impacts more on the Nigerian side than the other countries. But by and large, our military is up to the task and we will continue to do our best to ensure that our country is secured.’’
Buratai, had last week ascribed Boko Haram’s renewed attack in the North East on “some individuals” supporting the group.
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