APC Chieftain: Why Boko Haram Terror Persists

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Vice Chairman Northeast of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mustapha Salihu, has said the ideology behind Boko Haram terrorism has made it difficult to be completely defeated.

He noted that though the terrorists may not have been totally decimated, the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has done well in fighting the scourge.

Speaking yesterday at the national secretariat of APC after receiving an award as the Grand Commander of Nigerian Students, presented to him by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the APC chieftain said cases of terrorism even in more advanced countries have not been able to be completely tackled.

“Terrorism is motivation value-oriented. It is very hard to defeat because you will find out that this group is not even a group, it is an ideology. They don’t have where they meet. I want to tell you that this government has done well in fighting terrorists more especially in North-east region,” he said.

Saliu, who defined terrorism as an act of violence, perpetrated by the non-combatant target, said the aim of the insurgents is to cajole government into certain kinds of decisions, “and you have to look for motivation of a terrorist whether political, economic or values.

“Let us go to down the memory lane and start with the Irish Resistant (IRS) down to Spain, Taliban and Al-Qaedah. You know we have advance democracies fully developed countries fighting these people for 40 to 50 years. You cannot say you have decimated them 100 percent, that is terrorism.

“I am an expert and I studied defence studies, I was the best oral student of terrorism in 1997. I know what terrorism is, and this government has done wonderfully well.”

When asked on what the party was doing to include more youths in the APC government, the party vice chairman said: “The APC as party has done its best to see that youths get proper representation. Being the national vice chairman is a testimony. The last person who occupied this position was 60 years old and I am in my early 40s, and I was given this appointment, that shows there is inclusion of youths within APC.

“The APC government will do its best to let this reflect in the party and the cabinet of the president too. So, I am assuring you that APC is doing its best to see that youths are properly represented, we need the government to do more and encourage him to do more.”

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