Boko Haram Has Killed 3,000 People, Says Army Chief

For the first time since Boko Haram began its terror attacks on the North, what could be regarded as the first official confirmation of the casualty figure was offered Monday  by Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika.


Ihejirika, while declaring open the third inter-division and headquarters map reading competition organised by the Nigerian Army Education Corps (NAEC) in Ilorin, said the Islamic sect had killed no fewer than 3,000 people since it began its terror campaign.

He was, however, silent on whether the figure included military and police personnel killed in the line of duty.

Also yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan listed efforts by his administration to defeat Boko Haram’s insurgency, just as he called for cooperation among African nations to defeat terror groups operating on the continent.

At another occasion, the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, urged the Federal Government to unmask Boko Haram collaborators and sympathisers in the security agencies to hasten the end to terror attacks on the country by the sect.

Ihejirika, who lamented the adverse effects of the sect’s attacks on people in the North, said its actions had crippled socio-economic activities in the area and had negatively affected the psychology of the people.