Jonathan laments emir’s death, says peace assured

President Goodluck Jonathan is determined to return the country to its pre-terrorism era and will not stop until this battle is won, Dr. Reuben Abati, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity, has said.

According to Abati, who was addressing state house correspondents on Saturday on Friday’s murder of Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idriss Timta, the government will rid the country of terrorism regardless of the desperation of the terrorists.

“The president got the news and he was sad about it, because what it means is that these terrorists, who are threatening peace and stability in Nigeria, are desperate and they continue to show that desperation,” Abati said.

“The president made it clear in his Democracy Day broadcast; that was his main message to Nigerians, that at the end of the day, it is the people of Nigeria that will prevail.

“The whole of the West African sub-region, Africa and the entire world showed that this is the battle that the whole world is prepared to fight. So, the days of peace as the president said in his speech are assured because this battle will not end until it is won and the sustainable development is fully guaranteed.”

The president also “utterly condemned the heinous murder” of the emir by “brigands and terrorists”, who waylaid the convoy in which he was travelling with two other emirs.

“The president believes that the brazen attack and the wanton slaying of the respected traditional ruler reinforces the vital need, which he emphasized in his Democracy Day broadcast, for all patriotic Nigerians, irrespective of where they come from, their religious or political loyalties, to come together and work with urgency and complete unity of purpose to quickly end the murderous attacks by terrorists and insurgents that continue to threaten the security, cohesion and well-being of the nation,” Abati added.

He conveyed the assurances of the president to the nation that Nigeria’s armed forces and security agencies will continue to receive all the empowerment and support they require from the federal government to speedily give maximum effect to his orders that they take all necessary action to stop the brigands, terrorists and insurgents who descended to new depths of infamy with the “dastardly killing of a first-class traditional ruler”.

Timta was in company of Emir of Askira, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibn Muhammadu Askirama and Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamza when gunmen pelted their vehicle with bullets.

Although he was downed by the bullets, two emirs with him escaped unhurt.