Nigeria begins ‘final onslaught’ against Boko Haram before polls

Nigeria says it has embarked on a “final onslaught” against Boko Haram Takfiri militants ahead of the presidential polls slated for March 28.

“Soldiers are still out there working hard and we’re en route to the final onslaught because it has started already from Bama” in Borno state, Nigeria’s government spokesman, Mike Omeri, was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

“Bama was retaken yesterday and we have Abadam, Gwoza and Askira as part of the remaining areas where we still have this presence,” Omeri added.

He also said that “significant strategic military successes and gains” have been made against the Takfiri militants in recent weeks, adding, “As for the other three areas, help is coming.”

The comments came after Nigeria’s northeastern states of Adamawa and Yobe were recaptured on March 13 and 16.

Bama has been under the control of the militants since early September when it was seized along with several towns and villages in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states on the border with Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

Last week, Omeri (pictured below) announced that a total of 36 towns had been recaptured from Boko Haram.

The states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have been the core of six years of Boko Haram violence, which has claimed over 13,000 lives and displaced a further 1.5 million people since 2009.

In May 2013, all three states were put on a state of emergency while troops and civilian forces pushed the militants out of urban centers into remote rural areas.

In November 2014, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan tried to extend the state of emergency for a third time but the country’s parliament blocked his move.

Boko Haram, whose name means “Western education is forbidden,” and controls part of the northeastern Nigeria, recently declared allegiance to the ISIL Takfiri group which is perpetrating heinous crimes against humanity in areas under its control in Iraq, Syria, and Libya.

Nigerian troops backed by soldiers from Chad, Niger and Cameroon have been carrying out operations in recent months to secure and stabilize the northeast before the country’s presidential vote.

The vote, which was initially scheduled for February 14, was postponed to March 28 due to concerns over security on polling day.

Omeri said at a separate news conference, “We are confident there will be a level of security to enable citizens to vote.”