President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said there was no truth in claims in the local and international media
that he accused or indicted the United States Government of helping the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President described the reports as widely off mark.
He described the reports as unfortunate misinterpretation and distortion of his remarks at the United States Institute of Peace during his official visit to Washington DC.
He said he made it clear in those remarks, copies of which were circulated to the media, that he was convinced that the United States could never support groups such as Boko Haram.
The statement read in part, “The regrets expressed by President Buhari at USIP about the impact of the application of the Leahy Law on Nigeria’s war against Boko Haram and terrorism cannot be construed as an indictment of President Barack Obama and the United States Government who have publicly and privately declared their preparedness to give the Buhari Administration the fullest possible support and assistance.
“Within the context in which they were made, President Buhari’s comments on the adverse effect of the Leahy Law on Nigeria’s efforts to contain Boko Haram’s atrocious acts of terrorism should only be taken as a passionate appeal for even greater understanding and support from a very powerful and longstanding ally.
“President Buhari has nothing but the highest possible regard for President Obama, the United States Government, the people of the United States, their laws and institutions.
“The President had very successful and useful talks with President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, other high-ranking US government officials and members of United States Congress during his visit to Washington DC.
“It is his expectation that those talks will lead to better mutual understanding and a further deepening of bilateral relations between Nigeria and the United States, especially in Nigeria’s current priority areas of defence and security cooperation.”
Gunmen
killed eight people in a raid on a village in northeastern Nigeria, a
local resident and a vigilante said Thursday, in the latest violence
blamed on Boko Haram.
The attack in Borno state Wednesday was unleashed the same day as twin suicide bombings in Cameroon and a series of blasts at two bus stations in Nigeria that left at least 50 dead.
“The gunmen we believe to be from Boko Haram came into our village around 9 pm on Wednesday and shot dead eight people,” said Umar Goni, a resident of Pompomari village.
The militants stormed the home of the village chief who was away at the time but killed his son before moving on to other houses where they killed a vigilante and people who had been displaced by previous attacks, Goni said.
The toll was confirmed by Yuram Bura, a member of a vigilante group which assists the military in fighting the Islamists.
Pompomari is about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Biu, the biggest town in southern Borno, the state which has borne the brunt of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Buhari took office in May vowing to crush the insurgency but since then more than 750 people have been killed, according to an AFP count.
The bloodshed came after Boko Haram released a new video on Twitter, maintaining they were not defeated and vowing: “We will be coming from where you never expected, stronger than before.”
Nigeria’s new President Muhammadu Buhari, on a visit to Washington, lashed out Wednesday at US policy in his country, saying an arms ban was hampering the fight against the Islamist militants.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/boko-haram-islamists-kill-eight-in-borno-village-locals/#sthash.wQxmgM6Q.dpuf
The attack in Borno state Wednesday was unleashed the same day as twin suicide bombings in Cameroon and a series of blasts at two bus stations in Nigeria that left at least 50 dead.
“The gunmen we believe to be from Boko Haram came into our village around 9 pm on Wednesday and shot dead eight people,” said Umar Goni, a resident of Pompomari village.
The militants stormed the home of the village chief who was away at the time but killed his son before moving on to other houses where they killed a vigilante and people who had been displaced by previous attacks, Goni said.
The toll was confirmed by Yuram Bura, a member of a vigilante group which assists the military in fighting the Islamists.
Pompomari is about 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Biu, the biggest town in southern Borno, the state which has borne the brunt of the Boko Haram insurgency.
Buhari took office in May vowing to crush the insurgency but since then more than 750 people have been killed, according to an AFP count.
The bloodshed came after Boko Haram released a new video on Twitter, maintaining they were not defeated and vowing: “We will be coming from where you never expected, stronger than before.”
Nigeria’s new President Muhammadu Buhari, on a visit to Washington, lashed out Wednesday at US policy in his country, saying an arms ban was hampering the fight against the Islamist militants.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/boko-haram-islamists-kill-eight-in-borno-village-locals/#sthash.wQxmgM6Q.dpuf
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