Former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has alleged that Boko Haram first emerged during the Obasanjo administration in 2002, but was swiftly and decisively crushed before the administration left office.
Speaking on Arise TV, Atiku argued that the response at the time demonstrated what determined leadership can achieve. “Boko Haram started in 2002 when we were in office, and the president and I met and decided that we should put it down decisively, and we did. By the time we left, there was no Boko Haram. Boko Haram resurfaced after we left,” he said.
Atiku noted that the current failure to contain insecurity is rooted in a combination of poor leadership, inadequate manpower, and the misapplication of funds meant for security.
He claimed to have found it particularly troubling that a country whose military and police once earned distinction at international peacekeeping operations around the world now appears unable to defeat armed groups operating within its own borders.
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