President Muhammadu Buhari said the recent suicide bombings by Boko Haram terrorists are like the last kicks of a ‘dying horse’.

He said “What we are witnessing now are the last kicks of a dying horse. Yes, these kicks may be dangerous, but they don’t last long.
Progressively, they become weaker and weaker until the horse finally dies.”

Buhari said the war against Boko Haram has moved to the next phase, which is intelligence-driven, with a view to ending suicide bombings. 

Speaking at the commissioning of Pulaaku Radio in Yola, Adamawa State yesterday, Buhari, represented by Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, said Boko Haram has been degraded and its surviving members put on the run, a statement issued by the minister’s aide, Segun Adeyemi said. 

The President said the new phase would depend largely on information and communication, and therefore rallied the media, especially radio and television stations, to play their part in enlightening the populace.

“That is why I approved the establishment of an intelligence fusion centre in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, to gather and share intelligence among security agencies in the country. This will go a long way in ending this campaign of suicide bombing. 

“We are building on the nationwide campaign we launched last year, with the payoff line: ‘If you see something, say something’. It simply means that we need everyone to be involved in getting the necessary information to tackle the terrorists. They are not ghosts, and some of them live among us. We must all, therefore, support our gallant troops, many of whom have made the supreme sacrifice in this war, by providing information that can help rid our communities of terrorists. 

“It is important for the media – especially radio and television - to continue to play their part in this war, by offering their platforms to communicate useful information to the populace,’’ he said.

The President described as most auspicious the timing of the commissioning of the radio station, and implored it as well as other radio stations to donate airtime for national sensitization campaign.

Daily Trust