President Muhammadu Buhari says Boko Haram terrorists have been degraded to the extent that the group can no longer seize and hold on to any territory in the country.

In a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday in Abuja, the President made the remark at the 13th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Countries in Istanbul, Turkey.

Represented by the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu, Buhari said government forces had taken over all the territories seized by the insurgents and destroyed their camps.


 
The President also said that most of the leaders of the terrorist group had been arrested, while many others had surrendered.

He commended Nigeria’s neighbouring countries, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Benin and the international community for their support in the fight against insurgency in the country.

Buhari also commended the OIC for its efforts in ensuring peace worldwide.

On the theme of the summit: “Unity and Solidarity for Justice and Peace,’’ Buhari noted that the current precarious situation in the Muslim world was a source of great concern.

“A multiplicity of crises and conflicts litter the entire landscape of the Muslim World – from West and North Africa through Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent; from Jammu and Kashmir to Jakarta.

“And from the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East to the Balkans; many member-states are embroiled in conflicts threatening their very existence and taking an unacceptable toll in human lives and destruction of critical infrastructure.

“Muslim minorities in non-member-states like Myammar, Philippines, Thailand and China; and Muslim migrants in the West are still facing serious political, cultural and economic challenges or outright persecution,’’ he said.

The president, therefore, called on member-states of the organisation to rededicate themselves to the struggle for peace and justice for Palestinians.