A deserving second mandate awaits President Goodluck Jonathan as Nigerian army retakes Adamawa State from Boko Haram

The Nigerian army has managed to retake full control of the northeastern state of Adamawa from Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists. “Troops today succeeded in clearing terrorists out of Madagali, the last of places held by the terrorists in Adamawa,” the Nigerian military tweeted on Thursday, adding that a clean-up operation is underway in the liberated area. There were no casualties among the government troops, according the army announcement. This victory by the Nigerian military has pushed many political commentators to opine that President Goodluck Jonathan will get a deserving second mandate as Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces----a situation that will provide much relief to the leaders of the anti-Boko Haram coalition.

In an interview published on Wednesday, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan predicted that the three violence-wracked states of Yobe, Borno and Adamawa in the northeast of the country would be recaptured in the next three weeks. On the same day, Mike Omeri, the coordinator of Nigeria’s National Information Center, also said the country’s armed forces freed 36 towns from Boko Haram since the start of a military operation by regional West African countries against the Takfiri group. Crucial “co-operations and alliances” have brought victories against the militants, Omeri said, adding, “It is hoped that the unfolding regional cooperation will hasten the total defeat and extermination of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the sub-region.” In February, four nations of the Lake Chad Basin - Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria - launched a joint campaign, together with a contingent from Benin, to confront the rising threat of Boko Haram in the region.