President Muhammadu Buhari said the Boko Haram group was all out with the determination to destroy Nigeria.

Buhari stated this when he received executive members of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at the State House, Abuja.

He described the Boko Haram group and its attendant ideology — which abhors Western education — as a “fraudulent plot” designed to “destroy Nigeria.”

Buhari’s comments come barely 48 hours after he alleged a “deliberate plot” to destroy the country, which failed.

According to Buhari, the Nigerian Armed Forces has degraded the sect significantly since 2015.

He said, “I just came back from Adamawa and Yobe states. During the visit to both states, I listened carefully to what the people and officials had to say. And they all said the situation had improved since 2015, especially in Borno state.

“Boko Haram was just fraudulent and a plot to destroy Nigeria. You can’t say people should not learn; the people need to grow intellectually.”

The President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Wednesday, titled ‘Count on us to further improve security, reposition economy before leaving office, Buhari assures.’

Buhari told the clerics that the government is now focused on rebuilding infrastructure and re-orientation on education in the northeast.

He also promised that the gains recorded in security will be further consolidated, and more attention will be given to the economy, before handing over on May 29, 2023.

“I am very grateful for your visit to the Presidential Villa, and I agree with you on some of the observations you have made. The question of insecurity is most important to us because unless a country or institution is at peace, it will be difficult to manage.

“I just came back from Adamawa and Yobe States. During the visit to both states, I listened carefully to what the people and officials had to say. And they all said the situation had improved since 2015, especially in Borno State.

“Boko Haram was just fraudulent and a plot to destroy Nigeria. You can’t say people should not learn; the people need to grow intellectually,’’ he said.

Buhari told the Catholic Bishops that the government will continue rebuilding infrastructure in parts of the country affected by terrorist attacks, while emphasising that terrorists had no control over any space in Nigeria.