Boko Haram areas 'retaken in a month' - Nigeria's Goodluck Jonathan

 

 Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said he hopes that all territory seized by Islamist militant group Boko Haram will be retaken within a month.

"They are getting weaker and weaker by the day," he told the BBC.
But the president - who faces elections in a week - admitted the response to the insurgents' initial advance in north-east Nigeria had been too slow.
The army has claimed recent victories over Boko Haram in a conflict that has killed thousands since 2012.
Backed by neighbouring countries Chad, Niger and Cameroon, Nigeria's army has recaptured many towns and villages from the militants.
President Jonathan's government has been heavily criticised for its failure to end the insurgency.
The government has made similar claims in the past about defeating or driving back Boko Haram within a specific period - but these have not been borne out by events.
The president postponed February's election by six weeks, saying the armed forces needed more time to secure the country.
Abducted girls 'alive' In an exclusive interview with the BBC's Will Ross in the capital Abuja, President Jonathan said: "I'm very hopeful that it will not take us more than a month to recover the old territories that hitherto have been in their [Boko Haram's] hands."