Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says evil and destructive forces are after the soul of northern Nigeria. 

“Even though the soul of the North, and of Nigeria by extension, is being contested by some of the most destructive and evil forces in contemporary history, the Buhari administration is firmly resolved to resist and defeat them,” Mr Osinbajo said.

Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents are terrorising the North to impose an Islamic state.

Mr Osinbajo, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, in a statement by his media aide Laolu Akande, disclosed this while speaking at the eighth Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation Memorial Lecture on Tuesday in Kano. 

Mr Osinbajo asserted that “it is a fight we are determined to win,” claiming that “by the grace of God, all of these evil forces will be completely exterminated.” 

The North has borne the brunt of murderous attacks and mass abductions by bandits and Boko Haram. Governors from the region said their repeated efforts to win over the bandits had failed, with some urging residents to defend themselves.

Mr Osinbajo’s godfather, Bola Tinubu, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Army to adopt necessary measures in eliminating bandits.

“I urge the federal government, under the able leadership of President Muhammad Buhari as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, to use all necessary means to eliminate these people,” Mr Tinubu said on Sunday in Katsina.