President Goodluck
Jonathan on Tuesday said that utmost care was being taken by the Federal
Government to avoid collateral damage to the lives and properties of civilians
in the battle against Boko Haram.
He made the remark
while receiving the new South Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Noh Kyu-Duk, at
the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to him,
everything possible was being done by the military to avoid human rights
violations in the theatre of operations in the Northeast.
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 Northeast.
“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 Northeast.
“Our military has a reputation for discipline and we have insisted on that discipline and control for the safety of civilians in the Northeast.
“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.’’
He also told Mr.
Kyu-Duk that Nigeria’s entire security architecture was being reviewed,
restructured and strengthened to ensure greater safety for Nigerians and
foreign workers in all parts of the country.
“We are inviting all
our friends in the international community, particularly those that are more
technologically advanced, to complement our efforts to build a more secure and
prosperous country in which our people and foreigners can live in peace and
safety,” he stated.
The President urged
Mr. Kyu-Duk and his Indonesian counterpart, Mr. Harry Purwanto, who was also at
the Presidential Villa to present his letters of credence, to work for the
strengthening of existing trade and economic relations between Nigeria and
their countries.
The new ambassadors
thanked President Jonathan for receiving them and assured him that they will do
their best to promote stronger economic and cultural relations between their
countries and Nigeria during their tenure in Abuja.