Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari says his military was now close to completely defeating Boko Haram militants.
Speaking to the BBC, President Buhari said the militants could no longer mount conventional attacks against security forces or population centres.
"I think, technically, we have won the war," he said.
The militants have been forced to cut back on suicide bombings as a result of the military action against them, President Buhari further said.
"Boko Haram has reverted to using improvised explosive devices (IEDs)," he said. "They have now been reduced to that."
"Boko Haram is an organised fighting force, I assure you, [but] we have dealt with them. They cannot now marshal forces and attack towns or attack military installations and so on as they did before,
"I don't think this is mad talking."