I never said Nigeria at mercy of Boko Haram -Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has denied reports quoting him to have said on Monday that Nigeria was at the mercy of Boko Haram.

Mohammed was quoted to have said at an event in Benue State on Monday, “… Nigeria had made attempts to acquire better and more effective platforms to deal with terrorists and for one reason or the other we have been denied these platforms; these weapons and without adequate platforms, we will remain at the mercy of terrorists.”

The minister used the opportunity of a press conference he addressed in Lagos on Tuesday December 1, to the records straight on the statement.

According to him, “This is sheer fabrication and an abuse of a platform. While in Makurdi, Benue State, on an official visit, I was asked by journalists to comment on the killing of farmers in Borno State over the weekend.

“I said terrorism is a global problem that requires the collaborative efforts among nations to combat. I said Nigeria needs the support of global partners, especially in the area of acquisition of effective platforms to deal with the terrorists.

“I recalled that some of the platforms ordered and paid for by Nigeria have yet to be supplied till date, thus weakening the war on terror.

“How these statements translate to Nigeria being at the mercy of Boko Haram is baffling, and could only have come from warped minds who are more interested in attracting traffic to their websites than upholding the truth. Is anyone still in doubt that something urgent needs to be done to rein in the abuse of social media?”

“On the killing of farmers in Borno, I want to say it is an act of cowardice and savagery by a group of deranged terrorists, and it does not reflect the progress being made by the military against Boko Haram.

“The truth is that Boko Haram is badly degraded and can only carry out cowardly attacks like the one against defenceless farmers over the weekend.”