Jonathan in US advocates sanctions against Boko Haram, sponsors

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, in Washington DC, in the United States (US), called for severe sanctions against countries, institutions and individuals who sponsor terrorist activities of Boko Haram militia or other such groups in any part of the world.

“We call for an effective international sanctions regime that would hold accountable any country, institutions and individual that finances terrorism in any part of the world”, Jonathan said in the on-going US-African Leaders Summit in Washington, USA.

In a statement, issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Reuben Abati, President Jonathan also called for more effective global action and implementation of all existing international protocols against terrorism and violent extremism.

While observing that some of the security problems now faced by Nigeria and other African countries were transnational in scope and could not therefore be solved by any country acting alone, Jonathan in the same vein said because terrorism had become global in scope, greater regional and international collaboration was needed to combat them.

According to him, “Several African countries, including Nigeria, are now challenged by terrorism and violent extremism. For several countries in the continent, terrorism has become a real threat to social progress, peace and security.

“The violent and criminal activities of Boko Haram in my country have captured the world’s attention. This has been especially so since the terrorist group abducted some girls from their school dormitory in the North-Eastern Nigeria in April.

“Nigeria may be the epicentre of Boko Haram terrorist activities at the moment, but its affiliation with international terrorist networks, dramatically increases its capacity and reach beyond Nigeria’s borders”, he said.

Meanwhile, the US government has described Nigeria as an “extremely important” ally of the United States, even as it reaffirmed commitment to working with Nigeria to overcome the Boko Haram insurgency and the recent threat of Ebola in the country.