TheCable

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, says citizens in the north-east are no longer paying tax to Boko Haram.

Speaking at a meeting with the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigerian (NPAN) in Lagos on Thursday, Mohammed said the occupation of territories in the country by insurgents is now “a thing of the past”.

But the minister’s claim contradicts recent reports which say residents of the north-east and some parts of north-west pay tax to insurgents and bandits to have access to their farms.

The farmers killed in Borno at the weekend reportedly refused to pay tax to the insurgents before their slaughter.

Mohammed said the insurgents are no longer having a field day because of the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Now, let’s put things in context. Before Mr. President assumed office, Boko Haram could stroll into any city, especially in the north, to carry out deadly attacks. Abuja, the nation’s capital, Kano, Maiduguri, Jos, Damaturu, etc were regularly targeted,” he said.

“Motor parks, churches, mosques, shopping complexes were not spared. Today, that is a thing of the past. Suicide bombers used to have a field day detonating their bombs and killing innocent people.

“Today, that is no longer the case. Detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used to be a deadly tactic of Boko Haram. Today, that has changed.

“Boko Haram used to occupy territory, deposing and installing Emirs and collecting taxes. That’s no longer the case. These changes are not mere happenstance. They are part of the successes recorded by the military, under this president.”