Boko Haram can overrun Nigeria – Atiku

By Umar Muhammad Puma

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said Boko Haram fighters can overrun Nigeria unless government wakes up to its responsibility of protecting the citizens.

Atiku said this at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday while speaking on the humanitarian crisis caused by the recent territorial gains made by the insurgents.

He noted that it was pathetic that the Nigerian military, which fought a civil war and achieved total reconciliation and reconstruction within 30 months, was today unable to deal with an insurgency which has lasted for five years.

The former Vice President argued that the nation was suffering from a leadership deficit because, five years was more than enough to re-equip the entire military.

According to him, the extremist sect currently controls two local government areas in Yobe, five in Adamawa and about nine in Borno State.

He said, “Ever since these terrorists have been taking over territories, there was never a time the Nigerian military has recovered one inch of any lost territories in these five years.

“Can you imagine a whole country like Nigeria with its armed forces? Not one inch of terrorists territory recovered from the terrorists? How can you now convince me that this government has the capacity to recover an inch if, in the last five years, they have not recovered one inch?

“Government must rise up to its responsibility of protecting its citizens, otherwise, the whole of this country can be overrun.”, he stated.

The APC Presidential aspirant, who was flanked by legislators from both chambers of the National Assembly, including a former Governor of Yobe state, Buka Abba-Ibrahim, accused government failing to rise to the occasion.