The Nigerian army has defeated Boko Haram in the Sambisa forest, one of the jihadists' last remaining strongholds, President Muhammadu Buhari said Saturday.

A campaign lasting for months in the 1,300 square-kilometre forest in northeastern Borno state led to the "final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa Forest" on Friday, Buhari said in a statement.

He congratulated his troops for "finally entering and crushing the remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents at 'Camp Zero', which is located deep within the heart of Sambisa Forest".