We'll crush Boko Haram in 6 weeks — Dasuki

The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd) vowed, yesterday, that Boko Haram will be crushed within six weeks.

The terrorists, on their part, opened a new war front in Niger Republic with its leader dismissing the threat from the regional force.

Security chiefs had warned that security could not be guaranteed for the elections originally scheduled for this weekend and needed six weeks to flush out Boko Haram terrorists from the 14 local government areas in the North-East states before elections could hold. This forced postponement of the elections throughout the country till March 28.

Speaking, yesterday, Col. Dasuki assured that the new election dates of March 28 and April 11 will not be shifted as 'all known Boko Haram camps will be taken out' within six weeks

'They won't be there. They will be dismantled,' he told AFP in an interview when asked what gains could be made against the Islamists before the new polling date of March 28.

Dasuki said that Nigeria had been unable to defeat Boko Haram as it had been 'fighting it alone for years, with all the limitations in terms of equipment and support.

'Now we are having support. We are having additional troops. We are having additional equipment coming in. We are better equipped and better placed now to take on that thing than we were before.'

But Dasuki said that even if the goal was not achieved, 'the situation then would surely be conducive enough for elections,' with no need for a further postponement of voting. – Vanguard.