President Goodluck Jonathan declared yesterday that there was no hiding place for members of the terrorist group Boko Haram that have unleashed untold mayhem on innocent Nigerians. The enemies of humanity, he said, must be fished out and brought to justice.
“For those who take pleasure in seeing innocent human beings in pains, to see limbs being shattered
“For those who take pleasure in seeing innocent human beings in pains, to see limbs being shattered
and blood flowing in all directions after terror attacks, we say, you shall have no hiding place. Nigerians will expose you. The people of conscience around the world have rejected you,” the president stated on Wednesday, while inaugurating the Boko Haram Victims Support Funds.
But the chairman of the committee, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd) promptly rejected the president’s advice that they go everywhere including the dreaded Sambisa forest (where the Boko Haram sect are said to be holding the abducted Chibok schoolgirls captive) except President Jonathan who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces chooses to take them there.
The president lamented that 2009 seemed to be the tragic turning point for the country, as it was the period when the “assemblage of heartless individuals” called Boko Haram took it upon itself to unleash terror on the country.
The devilish sect, Jonathan said, has turned women to widows. He said: “They have killed and maimed and struck fear into law-abiding citizens. They have destroyed villages, attacked property and terminated people’s livelihoods without a care in the world.
“They have engaged our security agencies in a meaningless warfare that has wasted unimaginable human and material resources.
“The reality today is that we are confronted with individuals whose minds have been so twisted and tutored to believe they are doing God a service.”
Noting that good will conquer evil, the president said those who capitalise on the vulnerability of Nigerians to spread extremist doctrines and recruit them for murderous errands are enemies of humanity.
He assured, however, that no efforts will be wasted in bringing the individuals responsible for crimes against humanity to justice, even as he said the duty of the Danjuma-led committee is to kick-start the process of providing succour to people who had been directly affected one way or the other by acts of terrorism in the country.
Jonathan said: “As a developing nation with lofty dreams, I would rather be here inaugurating a committee on development initiatives. But this is the unfortunate situation where we have found ourselves because of the lawless acts of a few misguided individuals who are shedding the blood of innocent people in our nation.
“It is very necessary for us to refresh our memory before we proceed. Nigeria has not always been like this. In the past, it is true, we had communal and sectarian clashes. There is no human society that has been insulated from conflicts. But as a people created by God, we have managed to live within the realities of our challenges and have worked hard to strengthen the bond of our togetherness.”
In his remarks, chairman of the committee TY Danjuma stated that the Boko Haram sect seemed to be having the upper hand, recalling that he had earlier pointed out that what the country was facing was more deadly than the civil war.
The former defence minister said: “One thing we will not do is to go to Sambisa forest. The commander-in-chief will lead and we will follow the commander-in-chief.
“But, seriously, this war must be brought to an end. We must win this war immediately. It is taking too long. I called it civil war when it began, and people said it’s insurgency. The insurgents appear to be having the upper hand at this very moment. They pick and choose where to strike; they are even holding positions and displacing us.
“We must win this war, Mr President; we must do so immediately. We will raise the funds, we will disburse it. I promise you we will do so diligently and transparently but we must win this war, Mr President. May God bless our country.”
On his part, the national security adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), assured that the war against terrorism would be won.
