The Nigerian Military High Command has said that the country has closed its northern borders with neighboring nations due to the recent Boko Haram attacks on civilians in the north of the country.
Official figures indicate that more than 245 people have been killed this year alone by Boko Haram attacks in the north of the country.
Local reporters say the closure extends from northern Borno state and Adamawa state up to the 1,500-mile border with Cameroon.
The top military commander in Adamawa State, Brigadier-General Rogers Ibe Nicholas said that the border is closed to prevent Boko Haram militants from raiding Nigeria and fleeing back to Cameroon.
“To effectively curtail the activities of the insurgents, the Cameroon border in the northeast has been closed indefinitely, what I did was completely seal off the borders, no going in, no going out’’, he said.
Local reporters say Boko Haram uses the border with Cameroon to launch attacks against civilians in northern states.
The military also added that its intelligence has that Boko Haram are currently hiding in the hilly Gwoza forest which is an area next to the Cameroonian border.
Governor of Bono State, Kashim Shettima has called for reinforcements after the Izge Village attack by Boko Haram last week which left more than 100 people dead. Governor Shettima said the militants were better armed and better motivated than the security forces.
But the army has insisted that it is on top of the situation and that nobody needs to panic as the army will pursue the militants until they are completely wipe out.
The US State Department spokesman for Africa, Will Stevens said the senseless targeting of innocent civilians by the militants is unacceptable and urged authorities to bring the militants to book.
Secretary of State, John Kerry on Sunday condemned the wave of violence in Nigeria and reiterated US’ support for Nigeria which includes providing counter-terrorism assistance.
Both the UK and the US have blacklisted Boko Haram as a terrorist organization, making their laws and regulatory agencies to block business and financial transactions with Boko Haram.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in 3 northern states last year, and deployed thousands of troops to halt the insurgency, acknowledging that militants had taken control of some towns and villages in the north of the country.
But the president sacked his military high command earlier this year and gave no reasons but political analysts say is because Boko Haram have been able to continue their bloody campaign despite the wide-ranging powers given to the military to tackle the insurgency.
Boko Haram is believed to have carried out a wave of bombings and assassinations since 2009 which have cost an estimate number of over 4,000 lives, saying it wants to establish an Islamic state across Nigeria.
Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News
Writer’s email address: Adamsisska@googlemail.com
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