36 towns now retaken from Boko Haram - National Security Spokesman

Security spokesman on Wednesday said that 36 towns had been retaken from Boko Haram since the start of a four-nation military offensive, voicing hope that the operation could lead to the group's "total defeat".

National security spokesman Mike Omeri said four towns had fallen since last Friday, including three in Borno state and Buni Yadi, in neighbouring Yobe, where the insurgents slaughtered more than 40 students in February last year before seizing it in August.

Crucial "co-operations and alliances" have led to victories over the Islamist rebels, he said, thanking neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger for cutting off "the supply lines of the terrorists".

"It is hoped that the unfolding regional cooperation will hasten the total defeat and extermination of Boko Haram in Nigeria and the sub-region," he added.