President Goodluck Jonathan on
Sunday,told the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon that
with the extent to which troops deployed to Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States have
gone in successfully tackling the Boko Haram insurgents, the state of emergency
he declared in these states may not last up to six months as stipulated by the
constitution.
In a meeting with
the Secretary General on the sideline of the Africa Union conference in Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, Dr Jonathan said the military operation in the troubled states
was going very well and the military have strictly adhered to the rules of engagement.
He explained that
the successes recorded by the military is exemplified by the lack of collateral
civilian casualties, noting that the operation has helped in creating a better
relationship between the civilian population and members of the armed forces.
The president told
the Secretary General that government would do everything possible to ensure
that the civilian population is not put through hardship, adding that the
rules of engagement given to the military deployed in the area is strictly adhered
to by the military.
He said
governments’s decision to release women and children members of the Boko Haram
was in the spirit of the rules of engagement of the operation.
Earlier in his
remarks, the Secretary General of the United Nations sympathized with the
government and people of Nigeria over the activities of Boko Haram, saying that
Terrorism is a global phenomenon that must be confronted by the international
community.
He reiterated his
call on the Nigerian military engaged in operations in the affected states
where state of emergency has been declared to be prudent and cautious in
protecting the civilian population in the areas of operation.
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