Former Military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, has described the Boko Haram terrorist group as a major threat to Nigeria’s existence. Gowon stated that Boko Haram had created a major problem in Nigeria, after the civil war.
The former Head of State made this observation on Friday in Abuja during the launch of two books written by Nigeria’s Ambassador to Russia, Professor Abdullahi Y. Shehu.
“Boko Haram has been a threat, perhaps the major threat to the peace and development of Nigeria after the civil war.
“Boko Haram has indeed created a serious problem. After the Civil War, l remember saying, I hope that we will not experience what we went through during that period again. Unfortunately, Boko Haram appeared,” he bemoaned the group.
Gowon, however maintained that understanding the impact of Boko Haram would help in solving the problem.
“Understanding the debilitating impact and the deleterious effect of the insurgency on Nigeria is critical to developing innovative solutions to the problem.
“This also applies to the other security challenges that continue to undermine the stability and progress of Nigeria. These include recent incidences of banditry, kidnapping, farmers/herders problem. And other violent conflicts as well as other forms being experienced in Nigeria today,” he said.
