ABUJA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said his administration has achieved significant milestones in national security.

Speaking in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, at the inauguration of the new office of the National Security Adviser, and National Counterterrorism Center, two state-of-the-art facilities to optimize efforts at addressing evolving security challenges in the country, Buhari said his government had provided the incoming administration with infrastructure to effectively coordinate national security and counterterrorism efforts.

"I can confidently state here, today, that we have achieved significant milestones in degrading the major threat and restoring normalcy to most of the hitherto securitized areas in the northeast," the president said, noting the most populous African country faced the threat of terrorism, which was labeled as a major security challenge when he assumed office in 2015.

Buhari, who is expected to leave office on May 29, said the areas previously occupied by terrorists had been freed and internally displaced persons were voluntarily returning to their homes.

He said this feat was largely achieved through the valiant efforts of the armed forces and other security agencies, in collaboration with regional and international partners.

Apart from the degraded threat of terrorism in the northeast region, the Nigerian leader also said the government had curbed the series of armed banditry and kidnapping cases in the northwest and north-central zones.

"Meanwhile, issues of crude oil theft, sea robbery, piracy, and militancy in the South-South (zone) are equally being addressed. Most of these threats have transnational linkages thereby reinforcing the need for regional and international cooperation as critical enablers to enhance our national security," he said.

On maritime security, the president added that some key threats within Nigeria's maritime environment such as piracy, sea robbery, crude oil theft as well as illegal unregulated and unreported fishing were being effectively tackled. Enditem

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