By Rafiu Ajakaye
LAGOS, Nigeria (AA) - No fewer than 240 civilian deaths have been recorded in various acts of Boko Haram violence in Nigeria’s northeast this year, according to a new report by a local security analysis group.
“Our tally of civilian casualties so far in 2016 stands at 240, more than half occurring in the first three months of the year,” said the IBM Intelligence report, warning authorities that Boko Haram remains a serious security threat.
The report also said 71 attacks have been reported this year with casualties reported on the sides of the local army as well as the insurgents.
"While June was the worst month in 2016 for Boko Haram with 318 fighters lost, October proved costliest for the army. In one incident, the army declared one officer and 45 soldiers missing in a major Boko Haram attack on Oct. 17," according to the report.
The report said 67 of the attacks this year occurred in the Boko Haram birthplace of Borno, while just four have occurred in neighboring Yobe, Adamawa, and Taraba combined, saying the scale-back in the attacks meant Boko Haram has had its capacities greatly degraded.
“It is also worth noting that while the group has lost most of its land holdings, the ideology that caused it to sprout still exists,” it added, saying this meant Boko Haram could remain alive for many generations to come.
The report comes as Nigeria’s political and military leadership insists that Boko Haram no longer poses security threats to the country. President Muhammadu Buhari said Tuesday that the regional army fighting the militants is set to launch a final onslaught on their stronghold in the Sambisa forest.
“Members of the Multi-National Joint Task Force [MNJTF] are in their respective positions and at an agreed time they will move simultaneously and spontaneously for us to see the end of Boko Haram. We are now operating in the Sambisa Forest and as far as Boko Haram is concerned in the Lake Chad Basin area, I think they are done for,” Buhari told a panel of heads of state at the Third Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa.