President Goodluck Jonathan has said that Every care is being taken to ensure minimal civilian casualties in the war against the Boko Haram insurgency.
Jonathan said the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ensure that the nation’s troops avoid human rights abuse as they intensify efforts aimed at reclaiming territories from insurgents in parts of the country.
The president, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, while previous reports of rights abuse by the military had been investigated and found to be exaggerated, his government was closely monitoring the troops in this Lcurrent effort.
He spoke while receiving the new South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Noh Kyu-Duk, who was at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to present his letters of credence.
Jonathan reassured the new ambassador that the international best practices was being adhered to in the anti-terrorism war.
He said, “We are sticking to international best practices in prosecuting the war against terrorism and doing our best to ensure that we don’t have cases of human rights abuses in the North-East.
“We are consistently monitoring the situation and have investigated previous reports of such abuse which were mostly blown out of proportion for political reasons.
“Our military has a reputation for discipline and we have insisted on that discipline and control for the safety of civilians in the North-East.
“The purpose of the entire operation is to save our people from the brutal tyranny of Boko Haram, so we cannot tolerate human rights abuses or willfully impose further suffering on them.”
Jonathan told the new envoys that the nation’s entire security apparatus was being reviewed with a view to ensuring safety for Nigerians and foreign workers in all parts of the country.
He also used the opportunity to again solicit friends of the country, especially those that are more technologically advanced, to complement government’s efforts aimed at building a more secure and prosperous country, that which citizens and foreigners could live in peace.
The President urged Kyu-Duk and his Indonesian counterpart, Mr. Harry Purwanto, who was also at the Presidential Villa for the same purpose, to work for the strengthening of existing trade and economic relations between Nigeria and their countries.
