Buhari urges Muslims to rise against Boko Haram

Kunle Awosiyan |

President Mohammadu Buhari has urged Muslim faithful around the world and Nigeria in particular to rise against Boko Haram insurgency.

He said this while reacting to the killings of about 150 people in Kukawa, Borno State on Thursday, adding that there is the need for Muslims to make a strong statement that would condemn the activities of insurgents.

The president said, “One voice is a sure way of rejecting the attackers who have been claiming of acting in the name of Islam. This will stop the abasement of Islamic religion,”

Buhari called on international community to unite and forge a stronger worldwide consensus for more effective action against global terrorism.

In another statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in Abuja Buhari condemned the activities of Boko Haram in the northern part of the country, as he described it as “a very heinous atrocity which must be unreservedly condemned by all people of conscience.”

He conveyed  his heart-felt condolences to families of the victims of Boko Haram’s dreadful killings in Kukawa just as he also condoled the government of Egypt and the families of the victims, reaffirming “Nigeria’s commitment to working with other countries facing terrorists’ threats to overcome the scourge of violent extremism.”

The President added that “no country can afford to be indifferent to the threats of terrorism because of its pervasive and destructive nature.”

Buhari had made tackling insurgency a campaign issue and since he assumed office as President, he has focused on the menace more than any problem facing the country.  But the terrorists have continued their attacks on Nigerians and their North-East region, killing and destroying people and properties.