President Muhammadu Buhari says the Nigerian Army has snuffed out the threat of the Boko Haram terrorist sect.

While speaking to the BBC, the president revealed that the army is edging close to completely defeating the terrorist group.

Buhari had earlier given a December 31 deadline to the military to end the insurgency that has ravaged the northern states of the country for the past six years.

“I think, technically, we have won the war,” the president declared.

Observers of the government have however, expressed skepticism at the reported success of the army against the terrorists, citing that whenever the army claims to have crippled the terrorists, they rebuild and carry out more bomb attacks.

They accused the government of exaggerating its victory over Boko Haram.

The president said the terrorists have had to reduce its bombing missions because of the military operation against them.

“Boko Haram has reverted to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs),” he stated.

“They have now been reduced to that.”

“Boko Haram is an organised fighting force, I assure you, [but] we have dealt with them.”

Buhari also said that the terrorists had chased out of Adamawa and Yobe states and remained a force only in Borno state.

“They cannot now marshal forces and attack towns or attack military installations and so on as they did before.

“I don’t think this is mad talking.”

He said the secret behind the recent success is the re-organisation and re-equipping of the military as well as training received from the British, the American and the French counterparts.

“A lot is being done,” he said.

Adebayo Emuleomo