Nigeria’s newly-elected President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday his government would “spare no effort” to defeat Islamist militant group Boko Haram.
In his first formal speech since winning the election, Buhari promised to bank on the strength of collective will by his government to erase the memory of the insurgent group which has become a thorn in the flesh of Nigeeia since they occupied some towns in northern Nigeria last year.
Buhari appreciated that in tackling the insurgency, his government had a tough and urgent job to do.
In their history of Boko Haram existence in Nigeria, as the insurgents try to institute a strict version of Sharia law in the country, at least 15,000 people have been killed and thousands left maimed for eternity. A larger percentage of Nigerians have also fled for refuge in other countries.
His major rival Goodluck Jonathan had been criticized for not doing enough to combat Boko Haram which started by kidnapping over 200 schoolgirls, and later has bombing both churches and mosques, killing hundreds.
Buhari won Nigeria’s presidential elections, garnering a whole 2 million votes on top of Goodluck’s 13.3 million. He was a military leader during dictatorship in Nigeria. Prospects are therefore great that he will use his military tactics to address terrorism.
