President Muhammadu Buhari has denied claims that terrorism in Nigeria has a religious or ethnic connotation.
Buhari made this known on Wednesday when he received the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karin Khan, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The President said that the majority of Nigerians are now enlightened and know that the Boko Haram insurgency has nothing to do with religion or ethnicity.
In a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, the President stated that people now understand that the Boko Haram insurgency is a lifestyle to cause confusion, destruction, and death.
The statement reads: “To say Western education is unacceptable (Haram) is very fraudulent. That is why we are fighting them, and educating the people. Education is fundamental. Religion and ethnicity are out of it. Some people have just made it a lifestyle to cause confusion, destruction and death.”
“God is justice. You can’t kill innocent people, and shout; Allah Akbar (God is great). It’s either you don’t know that God at all, or you are simply being stupid.
“To say Western education is unacceptable (Haram) is very fraudulent. That is why we are fighting them, and educating the people. And we are succeeding a lot. We came to office when things were very bad, but we are educating the people.
“Education is fundamental. Religion and ethnicity are out of it. Some people have just made it a lifestyle to cause confusion, destruction and death.”
In his remarks, the ICC Prosecutor described terrorism extremism as a cancer that spreads and can also recede anytime soon.
He stated that the collaboration between Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) “is perversion of religion.”
