TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday said the federal government started recording success in the fight against insurgency after “we curbed corruption and removed injustice in the military”.

Buhari said corruption was largely responsible for the inability of the troops to defeat Boko Haram.

According to a statement issued by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, Buhari made the statement while speaking at an audience with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed El-Tayeb.

The president said the loss of 14 local government areas to Boko Haram had greatly tarnished the reputation of the Nigeria armed forces.

He, however,  added that with measures taken by his administration to curb corruption and provide better weaponry, logistics, training and welfare for soldiers on the frontlines, the Nigerian military  had now almost totally incapacitated Boko Haram as a fighting force and recovered all territories that were lost to the terrorist sect.

“When we curbed corruption and removed the injustice in the military, we began to make progress,” Buhari said.

Welcoming the support of Muslims across the world for Nigeria’s war against Boko Haram, the president said that the war against terrorism was also a war against injustice, which is not condoned by Islam and all the major religions.

“You can’t kill the innocent in churches or in mosques and shout Allahu Akbar,” he said, adding that the visit of El-Tayeb and his expression of solidarity with Nigeria in the war against terrorism was a clear indication of global Muslim support for Nigeria against the unjust killing of the innocent by insurgents.

The president, who reaffirmed  his administration’s determination to resettle all persons who were displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency, thanked the Grand Imam for the donation of scholarships, educational and medical supplies to Nigeria’s internally displaced persons.

El-Tayeb told Buhari that Muslims all over the world share Nigeria’s pains from terrorism and will continue to support efforts to ensure the return of peace and unity amongst all faiths in the country.