“Boko Haram Are Mere Scavengers Desperate For Food” – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has on Tuesday, August 11, described Boko Haram insurgents in the north-east,
who kill scores of innocent people everyday as “mere scavengers desperate for food”.

The President said this at a virtual meeting in the presidential villa, which was attended by the Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, heads of defence, security, intelligence agencies, and members of the security committee of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

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Gabriel Olonisakin, chief of defence staff; Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff; Sadique Abubakar, chief of air staff, and Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, chief of naval staff.

In the meeting, narrated to newsmen by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, he said the President noted that the service chiefs had done their best but they need to develop in terms of intelligence gathering. He expressed concern over insurgents’ access to small weapons despite border closure.

Quoting Buhari, Garba Shehu, said; “These terrorists are in the localities. How is it that they are not short of small arms? We have said enough on the need for them to rejig their operations.

“I am glad that there is better synergy and cooperation which are very important. I have directed the Service Chiefs to meet among themselves in-between the National Security Council meetings.

“The services have resources; yes, they need more, and mobility, and are doing their best, but there is a need for better gathering and interpretation of intelligence. Our intelligence-gathering must be improved.”

Discarding the assumption that insurgents in the north-east possess better weapons than the military, the president reportedly said what is left of them are; “mere scavengers desperate for food, raiding shops and markets, and killing innocent persons in the process.”

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“The Chief of Defence Staff has spoken about their study of the forests and their potential danger to security. We must make sure we follow the bandits and terrorists, but there must not be deforestation in view of the climate situation,” he reportedly said.