The Nigerian Buhari breaks the silence after the death of a soldier in the attack of an Islamist

ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari ended nearly a week-long silence on attacks by Islamists who, according to security sources, killed about 100 soldiers in the state. of Borno, in the north-east of the country.

"President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his deep shock over the killing of soldiers," the presidency said in a statement emailed to Buhari spokesman Garba Shehu.

"Immediate steps are being taken to ensure that the loopholes that led to the deaths are blocked once and for all," he said, adding that Buhari will hold strategic discussions with military leaders in next days.

Activists attacked a military base on November 18 in the village of Metele in Borno, the epicenter of an insurgency by Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State of Africa. West (ISWA).

The attack was perpetrated by ISWA and killed about 100 Nigerian soldiers, four security officials told Reuters.

A fifth said that 96 soldiers have died in the northeast in recent days, mainly in Metele, and that the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for attacks in recent days.

The balance sheet is among the highest since Buhari came to power in 2015 and put pressure on him before the February elections, not least because he won the victory over the nine-day uprising. years.

The legislators of the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, whose president is among the political opponents of Buhari, said this week that 44 soldiers were dead during the attack on Metele, without the army and the presidency. have made comments.

Analysts said it was an attempt to undermine Buhari's safety record.

Saturday's presidential statement, which does not mention the number of soldiers killed, follows days of military and presidential criticism in the Nigerian press and social media for their silence.

Buhari's main opponent in the next presidential election, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, has repeatedly posted messages about dead soldiers on Twitter in recent days.

The Nigerian army on Friday issued a statement in which it confirmed that the attack at the military base had occurred but did not provide details about the victims.

Buhari, a former general and former retired military leader, made the defeat of the Islamist insurgency a central element of the success of his 2015 election campaign after Boko Haram's attacks on the eve of this election that had weakened President Goodluck Jonathan.