President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday declared that time has come to completely wipe out Boko Haram terrorists from the entire Lake Chad basin area.

He made the declaration during an Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The President believes that development will only occur in the sub-region when there is peace and stability in the area.

He said: “The time has come for the evil of Boko Haram to be brought to a definitive end. I am sure that this summit will take the right decisions in this regard.

“This is a fight to the finish. We must, and we will, by the grace of God, wipe out terrorism from our sub-region.

“We must take cognizance of the fact, the sustainable growth and development of the sub-region are depending on the quick attainment of peace and stability in the area,” he added.

President Buhari also challenged the leaders of the sub-region to strengthen their support towards efforts aimed at ridding the area of terrorist activities.

“Our military’s strategy must be complemented by the mobilisation and deployment of adequate resources to ensure the reconstruction, rehabilitation, and rebuilding of civil authority,” he said.

President Buhari and other leaders of the sub-regional group agreed to and signed an eight-point communique at the end of the meeting.

Leaders present were the Prime Minister of Cameroon, Philemon Yang; Chadian President, Idris Deby; and President of Niger Republic, Mahamadou Issoufou.

Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Force Commander, Multi-National Joint Task Force, Major General Chikezie Ude, also attended the meeting.

Yesterday’s meeting held two weeks after the President travelled to N’Djamena, the Chadian capital for consultations with the leaders of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC).

The one-day meeting also reviewed the security situation and intensified the efforts to end the insurgency in the region.

•Sourced from Channels TV report

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