The president made the declaration on Saturday at the Elysee Palace in Paris during the regional summit on security in Nigeria convened by President Francois Hollande of France.
In his address at the summit, Jonathan was quoted as saying in reference to the recent wave of insurgency attacks that “This latest attack is a wake-up call for all of us. A line has been drawn in the sand; a test is put to each one of us.
“Nigeria will rise up to this challenge and will prevail. I call upon each one of you to stand up and be counted with us in this fight”.
While reiterating that Nigeria will not succumb to terrorists and their dangerous tactics, President Jonathan said that “Terrorists will not be allowed to define who we are. An attack on one country is an attack on all of us and our common humanity”, adding that “This is not anymore a challenge to Nigeria alone; it is a threat to each and every one of us”.
On efforts made to rescue the girls, he said, “We have deployed about 20,000 troops to the area, intensified aerial surveillance, and strengthened local intelligence resources. We shall spare no effort, we shall explore every avenue; we shall turn every stone, to ensure the return of the girls to their families and that the terrorists are defeated”.
Information Nigeria reports that the summit is attended by Presidents Boni Yayi of Benin Republic, Idriss Deby Itno of Chad, Paul Biya of Cameroon and Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic. Also in attendance were the representatives of the European Union, the United States Secretary of State, Senator John Kerry, and the Rt. Hon. William Hague, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary of the United Kingdom.
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