President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday said various attacks by Boko Haram in Abuja were planned to extend to parts of the country with the intention of bringing down the nation.

He stated this when he attended the revival service of the Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Movement at its headquarters in Ijesha, Lagos.

“The idea of the group was to start from the centre of the country and then move to bring the whole country down,” Jonathan said.

He listed the United Nation’s building, Police Headquarters, Army barracks market and Nyanya Motor Park as some of the places the terrorist organisation attacked in the federal capital.

He, however, said that the efforts of the Federal Government had curtailed the spread of the attacks to other parts of the country, except in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

The president said that insurgency and terrorism were global phenomena that were not peculiar to Nigeria, but added that with international collaboration, the Armed Forces would defeat the extremists.

“We are working hard as a government and with your cooperation, we will rout terrorism,” he said, adding: “We will work harder to protect all Nigerians. We will improve the economy so that people will have jobs so that these distractions about terror will end.”

Jonathan thanked members of the church and the Christian community in the country for their intercessory prayers and urged them not to relent.

“We believe we should not campaign in churches but I am here to thank the General Overseer and members of the church for what you are doing. Your spiritual work has not only helped members of the church but helped the country,” he said.

The General Overseer of the church, Pastor Lazarus Muoka, led the congregation through intercessory prayers for God “to bless the nation with unity, peace and stability.”

The faithful also prayed to God to give the president good health and strength to continue to prosper the nation.

They equally prayed for pre-election and post-election peace in the country and for the Lord to protect and preserve the president to enable him to achieve national prosperity.

•Adapted from a NAN report. Photo shows President Jonathan speaking in church.

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