U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton visits Nigeria & Offers Help in Fighting Boko Haram

The United States Secretary of States, Hillary Clintonhas promised to assist Nigeria in fighting the radical Islamic sect. Clinton, who is on an eleven-nations tour of the African continent, was in Nigeria yesterday and met briefly with President Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Zee News, she also said the US is ready to help Nigeria monitor the movement of goods, particularly amunitions and explosive devices trafficked to the Islamic sect through the borders of Nigeria and Cameroon.

An official travelling with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Reuters after the closed door meeting that the United States wants to help Nigeria fight Islamists and sees it as a growing regional menace, but the country cannot rely on military might alone.

“A security strategy is not enough,” the official said. “We know all too well from our own experiences in both Iraq and Afghanistan what can happen if soldiers and police are not operating under appropriate authorities.

“We will encourage them not to use excessive force and to look at this as a law enforcement operation designed to catch perpetrators and bring them to justice. We can help them develop mechanisms for tracking and determining individuals who are likely to be engaged in supporting Boko Haram actively,” he said.

Still on Clinton’s visit, media reports that she had to cancel most of her scheduled meetings due to heightened security challenges in Nigeria. Foreign media reports on Thursday indicated that Clinton would not pass the night in Nigeria because of security fears. She also shelved the traditional ‘Meet and Greet’ with US Embassy staff.

She arrived at the Presidential Villa at 3.50pm in company with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru; Nigerian Ambassador to US, Ambassador Ade Adefuye, and a battery of security details and foreign journalists.

She left the Presidential Villa at 6.15 pm and headed for the airport and on her way to Accra, Ghana to participate in the state funeral for the late President John Attah Mills.