Nigerian military says no ceasefire deal with Boko Haram

The Nigerian military has rejected claims of a ceasefire deal with Boko Haram.

Samaila Uba, the spokesperson for the Defence Headquarters, said this on Thursday. He spoke during a security press briefing at the National Counter Terrorism Center, part of the Office of the National Security Adviser.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reached out to Mr Uba for comments on this issue, but he did not reply. Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga also declined to comment, directing the newspaper to the ONSA or the Ministry of Defence.

This denial comes almost two months after The New Humanitarian reported that the Nigerian government made a secret ceasefire deal with Boko Haram. This group is led by Bakura Doro. The report claimed that this deal helped keep parts of northeastern Nigeria quiet for about three months.

The report, which PREMIUM TIMES shared, said the ceasefire started in June and was likely to be extended. It was linked to efforts to free over 300 civilians kidnapped in March from Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area, Borno State.

The publication added that this truce does not include the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). ISWAP is still active and continues to attack military positions and civilians in the Lake Chad area.

HumAngle reported that a Boko Haram judge denied the ceasefire claim. Sources familiar with the situation believe that a small team within Boko Haram might have agreed to the government's request without getting permission from the group's leaders.

Mr Uba told reporters, "On the issue of whether there is a ceasefire with Boko Haram, I want to make it clear that there is nothing like a ceasefire."

He added, "Considering the terrorists neutralised, suspects arrested, victims rescued and other successes recorded across our operations, it is clear that we are not relenting. We will continue to sustain pressure on these criminal elements."

Mr Uba mentioned that military operations are not just focused on Boko Haram and ISWAP. They also target kidnappers and other criminals who threaten innocent people.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that there are currently around three factions of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), known as Boko Haram.

These factions are spread across North-east and North-central Nigeria. They are thought to be loyal to Mr Doro, who took over after Abubakar Shekau was killed in a 2021 fight with ISWAP. Two factions are believed to be in the North-east and led by Ali Ngulde and Alhai Kale. The faction in North-central is led by Mallam Sadiku.

Mr Doro is believed to be hiding in the Lake Chad area, taking advantage of the weak security in that region.