Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, former Minister of State for Defence under former President Goodluck Jonathan, has stated that all territories occupied by Boko Haram were recaptured before the Jonathan administration left office in 2015.
Speaking in an interview from 36:57 with Seun Okinbaloye on Mic On Podcast, Obanikoro said the success was achieved with the help of foreign mercenaries hired by the Nigerian government to support the military in the fight against Boko Haram. He stated that after President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, the mercenaries’ contract was terminated.
Obanikoro said ending the contract was a major mistake. He stated that the government should have allowed the mercenaries to continue supporting the military. He added that even powerful countries make use of mercenaries during military operations,
In Obanikoro’s words: “By the time we left in 2015 all the territories that were under Boko Haram were already liberated. Don’t forget at that time we had we had some of these mercenaries, the Nigerian government contracted them and by the time Jonathan was leaving office, we had liberated all those places. They were supposed to continue, but Buhari came in and terminated it. It was a major wrong move….See More