... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
, apparently backing off previous claims that the Salafist tough guys were on the run and desperate. President
Goodluck Jonathan... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau...
's administration has been fiercely criticised over its handling of the conflict, both for its inability to stop massive attacks on defenceless civilians and for what some have described as mixed and contradictory messages on the severity of the crisis.
Jonathan has termed the ongoing military offensive in Boko Haram's north-eastern stronghold a success and maintained that normality will be restored to the embattled region by May. On Friday, presidency front man Doyin Okupe told the private Channels television station that the Boko Haram conflict was a "war situation". "We are dealing with a very, very serious enemy," he said.
"We are engaged in a war that has been internationalised," he added in an apparent reference to Boko Haram's reported but unconfirmed presence in neighbouring countries like Cameroon. The conflict has killed thousands since 2009 but many argue the plight of civilians in the north-east has worsened since the military began its operation in May. Since then, nearly 300,000 people have been displaced in the region, according to the UN, and more than 1,500 people killed, according to the UN and figures compiled by AFP.