Atiku Asks For International Assistance Against Boko Haram As US Offers To Assist

Former Nigeria’s Vice president Atiku Abubakar has asked President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government to seek for  international support in its war against Boko Haram and other form of terrorism, even as the United States of America has offered to assist in retrieving abducted female students in Borno state from Boko Haram.
Reacting to the May 1st second bomb blast at Nyanya, the former Vice President said that time has come for Nigeria to solicited international support to tackle the seemingly intractable security challenges.
Atiku however commended the nation’s security forces for their sacrifices and patriotism in dealing with the threats of terrorist violence, advising that the most cogent way to confront the insurgents head-on now is for Nigeria to urgently seek international support and should do so urgently.
According to him, terrorism is relatively new to Nigeria and our security men and women are up against a deadly unconventional enemy that doesn’t bother about the rules of engagement.
Atiku said that Nigeria, like any other nation, should not be an island on itself in what he called an interconnected world today.
The global dimension of terrorism has made it imperative that developing country like Nigeria should not go it alone, adding: “we need to learn from the professional experiences and ideas of other countries confronted by terrorist threats.”
Atiku, who is a chieftain of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) expressed his condolences to families of the dead even as he wished the injured ones speedy recovery.
The United States, in its request to help
Nigeria in its search for over 200 girls abducted by Boko Haram from a school in Borno state said: “We have been engaged with the Nigerian government in discussions on what we might do to help support their efforts to find and free these young women.”
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harftold added in her daily briefing: “We will continue to have those discussions and help in any way we can.
“The US and the international community must work with the Nigerian government to ensure these girls are reunited with their families and deepen efforts to combat the growing threat posed by Boko Haram,” said Senator Chris Coons of Delaware, the chairman of the Senate’s African Affairs subcommittee, and one of the resolution’s six sponsors.
In fiscal year 2012, the United States provided over $20 million in security assistance to
Nigeria, part of that to build the country’s military, boost its capacity to investigate terrorist attacks and enhance the government’s forensic capabilities, she said.