The group said the fact that the rally held is testimony to the progress made in taking back their land from the grip of evil
National Coordinator of the Coalition Against Terrorism (NCAT), Kuanum Terrence, has praised the efforts of the military chiefs and President Buhari in dealing a fatal blow to the activities of Boko Haram terrorists.
NCAT held a mega rally in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Wednesday, February 1, 2017.
"It is instructive that this mega rally is holding in Maiduguri today. Maiduguri is not just the capital of Borno state or the economic hub of the north east geopolitical zone, it was also the epicenter of the activities of Boko Haram terrorists", Terrence said in a speech delivered at the event.
He added,"that this rally is holding here today is a testimony to the progress made in taking back our land from the grip of evil that had threatened to consume us but which has now been thankfully averted.
"We have Our Dear President Muhammadu Buhari, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to thank for this feat of being among the few locations on earth where the evil of terrorism has been halted within such a short time".
The national coalition against terrorism said the north east is unrecognizable from what it used to be.
"Only those that experienced the north east before Mr President's assumption of office can fully appreciate what has happened here; this, here, was the same area where residents had given up hope of ever returning to but today the process of rebuilding our lives has begun in earnest.
"We are grateful to these great military chiefs for turning the tide and winning the war--Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar; Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Ibok Ette-Ibas and the leadership of the other security agencies are warriors to whom we owe debt of gratitude.
"We most respectably single out the COAS, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai and the Army for particular mention. This recognition is for the gallantry and leadership style of General Buratai who saw to the effectual relocation of the Crisis and Control Centre of the war on insurgency to Maiduguri.
"Nigerians were proud and had their hope in the system restored when we saw Lt. General Tukur Buratai with his troops in the theatre of war coordinating the strategies that led to the eventual defeat of Boko Haram.
"We thank the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who has done much to dispel the propaganda mounted by Boko Haram backers who usually attempt to paint the picture that is over for us in the north east while equating our situation to places like Libya, Iraq and Syria.
"We salute the Executive Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, who has done much to provide the corresponding civilian component to match the military determination to end terrorism in our land. He has come up with many initiatives and as the leader of the state he has shown the direction needed to return us to an era that is better than what existed before the mindless destruction of Boko Haram was visited on us.
"We acknowledge the efforts of the Civilian JTF, other stakeholders and elders that have worked with Governor Shettima and the federal authorities in regaining peace for us. Their efforts have made meaningful impact. They have shown the extent of what is possible when a people unite for a common cause.
"It is in recognition of these notable contributions that we have organized this rally in the aftermath of the defeat of Boko Haram in Samibisa Forest with the capture of the terror group's Camp Zero.
"We were all personally in Sambisa to see for ourselves. We realize that Boko Haram fighters are fleeing after their loss in Sambisa Forest. We also know that instead of accepting their defeat, they are attempting lone attacks that they intend would be misconstrued for their group still being potent.
"This is why we believe that it is time to activate the citizens' component in the war on terrorism and this is because we believe that the population should step in now that the military has done the larger part of the work.
"We realized that after being blocked from buying vital military equipment for fighting the anti-terror war, our military was able to adapt homegrown solutions and still went on to have the upper hand over Boko Haram. Other countries are now studying the Nigerian approach in their quest to defeat terrorists.
"Our thinking is that Nigeria can further blaze the trail by evolving more homegrown approaches to winning the peace now that Boko Haram has been routed".
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