President Jonathan to Ali Modu Sherrif "Boko Haram Founder Was Your Friend"

President Goodluck Jonathan at a town hall meeting in Maiduguri has called the late founder of Boko Haram the violent Islamic Militant sect, a friend of former governor Ali Modu Sherrif.

The President while trying to answer a question attempted to recollect the name of the sect's founder (Mohammed Yusuf) and when he couldn't he said "em, em,  em Ali Modu Sheriff's friend" at which point the hall erupted in laughter.

The President also warned the people of Borno not to toy with the idea of killing even one soldier. He was responding to the requests of Borno elders for him to withdraw soldiers of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).

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The President responded thus; “And let me assure you that government would not sit down quietly for anybody to take weapon and start killing people in the name of insurgence. I don’t want to hear that one soldier is killed anywhere either in the Niger Delta or in Borno state or any part of this country, I will not preside over this country as President and allow that to happen or I will not take it lightly with anyone.

“These soldiers leave their families and sleep in the bush and on the streets just so that you and I could have some sleep; and I would not want to hear that one of them is killed. I have given directive to that effect. We have warned the soldiers to conduct themselves, not to kill innocent civilians; but I will not celebrate the death of one soldier, and I repeat, I will not celebrate the death of one soldier.” Jonathan had asserted.

The President then challenged the Borno Elders to sign an undertaking promising that there would not be any more Boko Haram attacks and that if they do he would happily withdraw the soldiers of the JTF.