President Goodluck Jonathan has warned members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect against believing that he is incapable of crushing them.Jonathan made the statement in the light of the attack in Bama, Borno State, which resulted in the killing of scores of security operatives and civilians. The casualty figure in the attack has been put at 55, with several others sustaining injury.
“President Jonathan believes that the continuation of such callous and wanton attacks of innocent Nigerians, government facilities and security formations flies in the face of ongoing efforts to establish a workable framework for dialogue and the peaceful resolution of security challenges in Northern Nigeria,” Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati said.
“The president warns that the Federal Government’s consideration of dialogue as an option for the elimination of some current threats to security should not be seen as a weakening of its resolve and determination to use all the forces at its disposal to crush all brazen affronts to the powers and sovereignty of the Nigerian nation.”
He said the president extends his sincere condolences to the families and colleagues of the soldiers, policemen and prison officials who lost their lives in the dastardly attack.
“The president urges the armed forces and police not to be disheartened or daunted by the loss of their colleagues, but to remain focused and undeterred in discharging their responsibility for the security of lives and property in all parts of Nigeria with the assurance that the Federal Government will continue to give the Armed Forces and Police the fullest possible support to enhance their ability to meet the continuing challenges of terrorism and insurgency,” he added.
The president also commiserated with families of the innocent civilians who were either killed or injured in Tuesday’s attack on Bama.
