David Cameron Defends Jonathan Govt's Efforts To Defeat Boko Haram

The prime minister rejected a suggestion by Tom Clarke, the former Labour minister, who said the Nigerian authorities had failed to lift a finger to help find the schoolgirls. A group of about 130 of the kidnapped girls appeared earlier this week on a video released by the terror group Boko Haram. Clarke, who is a respected expert on international development, asked the prime minister: "While I welcome the efforts to rescue the schoolgirls in Nigeria,will the prime minister agree that the Nigerian government hasn't lifted a finger to protect its own citizens in the north as they were attacked by Boko Haram?" Cameron replied: "I don't think his description of the Nigerian government is entirely fair. They do face a very vicious terrorist organisation in terms of Boko Haram. "They are investing in and training their armed forces in counter-terrorism abilities. We have worked with them on that and we are willing to do more work with them on that, particularly if we can make sure proper processes are in place for dealing with human rights issues." But the PM said Britain should be prepared to provide more than military assistance. He said: "We should help across a broad range of areas – not just counter-terrorism, surveillance and helping them find these people but also working with the global fund promoted by [Gordon Brown] in terms of protecting more schools." http://www.theguardian.com/world /2014/may/14/nigeria-britain-military- help-protect-schools