Nigeria's President-elect Muhammadu Buhari on Monday branded the Boko Haram armed group as a "fraud".
"The fraud called Boko Haram can be defeated by denying it a recruitment base," Buhari, a fierce critic of the armed group, told some politicians from north-central Nasarawa State.
"No religion allows for the killing of children in school dormitory, in markets and places of worship," he said.
"They [Boko Haram] have nothing to do with religion. They are terrorists and we are going to deal with them as they deal with terrorists anywhere."
Buhari said Boko Haram will be denied a recruitment base "the moment our local communities realize that its claim to being a religious group is nothing but a fraud."
He lamented the destruction of schools in northern Nigeria, an action he said could deny thousands of youngsters access to education and a better future unless something is done urgently to end the crisis.
"The worst thing anybody can do is to deny children access to education. That will be destructive to their lives and we are not going to allow that to happen," Buhari said.
Known for his criticism of the terror network, Buhari had in 2013 rejected an offer by Boko Haram that he represents them in a botched negotiation with the Nigerian government.
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