The Nigerian military said suicide attack by terrorists on Saturday in Borno was an indication that the terrorists are desperate to attract attention and bolster relevancy.

The military in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by Major General, Edward Buba,

Director of Defence Media Operations, added that the terrorists want to mobilise new recruits, reduce support for the armed forces and reduce support for the government.

“Given that we are in a state of war, it must be recognized that this despicable act is a response to recent successes in ongoing military operations. Indeed, our recent  operations has decapitated the leadership of the terrorists, depleted their resources, reduced their support base and reduced their influence.

“Clearly, the terrorist embarked on these cowardly attacks against innocent citizens to project an image of strength to cover their weakness and decline. Citizen must see through the smoke screen of the terrorist. We must realize that, the terrorist  aims to counter the reports of their weakness and  create panic in the general population.

“Accordingly, we call on citizens to stand united, remain vigilant, and continue to support efforts of the armed forces to ensure a secure and peaceful future. The fate of the terrorists that perpetrated these insecurity will be violent and short as troops will stop at nothing to take them out of the battlefield.”