President Goodluck Jonathan has said that the tide has “definitely turned” against Boko Haram insurgents as Nigeria?s military forces in partnership with military forces from Chad, Niger and Cameroon has helped to recapture parts of the country?s territory under the control of the sect.
President Jonathan made these comments few hours after Boko Haram militants were blamed for killing 27 people in bombings in two commercial centres in the north on Tuesday.
The president in his response to the bombings that hit Yobe and Kano states on Tuesday said that the sect had hit “soft targets” because of the setbacks it had suffered in battle recently.
Regional forces have recaptured eight major towns in recent weeks.
On Tuesday, suicide bombers blew themselves up at crowded bus stations in Kano, the most populous city in the north, and Potiskum, the main commercial town in north-eastern Yobe state.
At least 28 civilians were killed in Potiskum and 10 in Kano, police and hospital sources said.
“The president assures all Nigerians and the people of the north-eastern states in particular that the days of mourning victims of incessant terrorist attacks in the country will soon be over as the tide has now definitely turned against Boko Haram,” a statement from the presidency said on Tuesday.
Military chiefs from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin, are currently meeting to discuss plans to create an 8,700-strong force to fight Boko Haram.
