Condemnation has continued to trail the threat reportedly issued to President Goodluck Jonathan by the leader of the Boko Haram sect, Shiek Abubakar Shekau, saying that the nation’s security apparatus should not discard the comment with a wave of the hand.
Some of those who spoke with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND said the comment coming on the heels of a deadline for the end of the Boko Haram menace announced by President Jonathan was an affront on the person of the president.
The leader of the sect, Imam Shekau, in a new video posted on Youtube yesterday, had dared President Goodluck Jonathan to carry out his threat to wipe out the sect in three months, saying that Nigeria’s security agencies cannot contain it by the June 2012 deadline set by the president.
Shekau, in the video message relayed mainly in Arabic and Hausa language and titled, “Message to Jonathan,” vowed that the sect would not only destroy Christians and Christianity in Nigeria, particularly those killing Muslims, but will also kill all Muslims aiding the arrest and harassment of its members.
He further bragged, “You Jonathan cannot stop us as you boasted, instead we will devour you in the three months like you are boasting. If death is your worldly gain, for us, it is eternal victory to die working for Allah. Our joy is to die in Jihad for Allah against infidels like you.’’
In his reaction, a social commentator, Mr. Andrew Ajayi noted that the Nigerian security operatives should go all out and smoke out all those behind the Boko Haram insurgency, with special emphasis on the sponsors of the sect.
“These Boko Haram members are becoming more daring. No matter where this man who insulted our president may be by now, the security operatives should have issued an international warrant for his arrest.
The president said the Boko Haram menace would end by June and Nigerians were looking forward to it before the last Easter blasts, which showed Nigerians that the sect is still fully around.
“We want to believe that the government will keep to its words and end this threat to the nation’s peace and unity,’’ Ajayi said.
Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Mr. Emma Onwubiko, who reacted through a telephone conversation said,? “The appropriate authorities are in a better position to react. We are for peace and religious harmony.’’
Onwubiko, however, referred our reporter to his blog, where he commented on the deadline issued by President Jonathan. In his words, “President Jonathan further upped the ante in careless talks when he said Boko Haram attacks would go down in June 2012 as if his government had captured the kingpins responsible for the funding of this terrorism?