Abuja, Oct 2 (IANS): Nigerian government forces eliminated at least 300 commanders of the Boko Haram terror group and other terrorist organisations in the country in the past year, President Bola Tinubu said.

In a national broadcast to commemorate the country's 64th Independence anniversary on Tuesday morning, Tinubu said that peace had been restored to hundreds of communities in the northern part of the country, where thousands of people who fled their homes had also returned due to the intensified security, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our administration is winning the war on terror and banditry... Our target is to eliminate all the threats of Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent extremism," the Nigerian leader said. "Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit commanders faster than ever."

Tinubu declared "an unfinished business" in the security situation, which, he said, government forces were committed to ending as quickly as possible.

He said that with the ongoing security operations, Nigerians will soon experience a leap in food production and a downward spiral in food costs. The West African country is experiencing its worst cost-of-living crisis, heightened by rising food costs, amid economic hardship.

"As soon as we can restore peace to many communities in the troubled parts of the north, our farmers can return to their farms," he added.