Jonathan Says Boko Haram War Is Worse Than Nigeria Civil War

President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said the activities of the radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram is worse than Nigeria’s civil war. Speaking with a delegation of the College of Bishops of African Church led by the Primate, Most Rev. Emmanuel Udofia, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the president noted that insurgents live among the people contrary to the case of the civil war where enemies and their territories could easily identified. Jonathan, however, expressed optimism that the sect’s activities would soon come to a permanent end, but urged the clerics to continue to pray for Nigeria. "I have to thank you for your prayers because this country is facing challenges that we never expected. I always say it that apart from those of us from the then Eastern Region who witnessed the effect of the civil war, others may have not witnessed this kind of insecurity in the country" Jonathan said. "In the North-East, it is almost like a civil war, it is even more than the civil war because in a civil war you know the battle line. As a Biafran then or Nigerian, you know where to run to. But this one, you don’t even know where to run to because the enemies are in your sokoto (trousers) pocket. So, it is a problem. But with your prayers ,God has been kind and whatever the enemy contemplates, he will never get there". Jonathan, who recalled that the church and government were very linked in the past, lamented that in modern day, the separation of the two bodies had brought about controversies on moral issues in the society. The president also frown at the fact that moral and religious education was being neglected instead of it to be the vanguard national development. He insisted that creating a society that is peaceful for the people to interact was more important than the physical infrastructure that are provided. "The challenge of Boko Haram will surely come to an end because everything about terror is evil. Terrorism represents negative forces on earth and in human history, negative forces only terrorise people for a while but the light always subdues them with time. The light will surely subdue the darkness of Boko Haram. The prayers of our religious men and women will surely bring this country out of the dark stages of our history" Jonathan said. Speaking earlier, Udofia alleged that some officials were being sympathetic to the terrorist group which he described as "the most unfortunate affront to this present administration".