“I thought we dominated big parts of the game. Everything that we talked of before the game in terms of nullifying their counter attacking threat we did really well, so that part off the game was fantastic. We almost gifted them one at the end and I thought we created enough. It is difficult to create against Tottenham when they have a low block, the whole team defending centrally. We had to try to go round them and try crosses and have shots, but it is hard. You have to try to stop counter attacking in transitions. I thought that part of our game was excellent. Sometimes you rely on a bit of magic, sometimes when you have that dominance it can happen. I am sort of balanced after the game. Big parts were great, hence the clean sheet. But a game we maybe should have won 

Important not to get drawn into the idea of beating Jose and coming unstuck like City?

“It’s clear that Tottenham, when they play against this type of game they try to adapt the style of being organised and counter attack. The manager sets that tone. They have great players in those areas to play in that way. Kane and Son we know about. We were at home, we wanted to control the game, we did. We could have had a bit more magic or something drop for us at the top of the pitch, there was only really one team for the majority of the game who was searching and that was us. We have been playing pretty well and we wanted to win. In the end we didn’t quite have enough at the top end to do that.”

 

Jose said Spurs aren't title contenders, agree?

"It’s Jose’s call to say it as he sees it from his end, but from the outside they are top of the league, it’s very close at the top. If we’re contenders then they have to be contenders. If you’ve got Harry Kane and Son in your team – Son has got nine goals, Harry’s got seven, they keep clean sheets well because of the organisation of their team – they would expect to be in the race. They have invested heavily – they’ve got people like Gareth Bale sitting on the bench, Dele Alli’s not here. There is a strong squad there. So I think we are all competing, but Jose can say can say it as he sees it."

 

The Coordinator of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, in an interview with Channels Television, blamed some residents of the North-East for sabotaging the war against insurgents.

Also Monday, the Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in an interview with the BBC said the rice farmers did not get military clearance before going to their farms, where they were killed by the insurgents.

In Makurdi, the Benue State capital, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Boko Haram remained undefeated because Nigeria was denied access to adequate weapons to fight terrorists.

Recall that the Federal Government and top military officials had repeatedly said the insurgents and other criminal groups had been defeated.

In an interview with the BBC in 2016, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), said Boko Haram had been technically defeated.

In May last year, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, said that the Boko Haram terrorist group had been defeated, adding that the military was fighting an international criminal gang known as Islamic State of West Africa Province.

Organisations such as the pan-northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, faulted government’s explanations and advised it to tackle insurgency.

other criminal groups had been defeated.

In an interview with the BBC in 2016, the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), said Boko Haram had been technically defeated.

In May last year, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, said that the Boko Haram terrorist group had been defeated, adding that the military was fighting an international criminal gang known as Islamic State of West Africa Province.

Organisations such as the pan-northern socio-political group, the Arewa Consultative Forum, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, faulted government’s explanations and advised it to tackle insurgency.

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Despite government’s claim of victory over the insurgents, the terrorists rounded up rice farmers on their farms at Kwashebe, Borno State on Saturday.

Although the government said 43 people were killed, the United Nations on Sunday stated 110 farmers lost their lives.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Mohammed, in an interview with journalists after paying a courtesy visit to the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, said that Nigerians would remain at the mercy of terrorists.

The minister described the killing of the rice farmers as ‘unfortunate’ but noted that to decimate the terrorist group, the country needed more support from global partners as well as acquiring adequate weapons to fight them.

The minister said, “When we talk about terrorism, people don’t seem to appreciate that terrorism is not a local issue, it is a global issue and there is no part of the world that doesn’t experience its own pocket of terrorism.”

Nigeria denied weapons to fight insurgents – Lai Mohammed

“But you must also note that we are dealing with terrorists who are financed globally and we also need more support from global partners, for instance, Nigeria has made attempts to acquire better and more effective a platform to deal with the terrorists but for one reason or the other we have been denied this platform, these weapons and without adequate weapons or platform, we remain at the mercy of terrorists.”