President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said that the menace of the Boko Haram sect whose members have been unleashing violence is some parts of the North, was worse than the country’s civil war.

He said while enemies and their territories during the civil war could be easily identified, enemies in the case of the Boko Haram sect, live among the people, thereby making it difficult to identify them.

The president spoke when he granted audience to a delegation of the College of Bishops of African Church led by the Primate, Most Rev. Emmanuel Udofia, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He, however, assured Nigerians that the activities of the sect would come to an end soon.

He said no matter how long darkness lingers, light would prevail one day.

President Jonathan urged the clerics to continue with their prayers for the country which have kept Nigeria from falling apart.

He said, “I have to thank you for your prayers because this country is facing challenges that we never expected. I always say it that apart from those of us from the Eastern region who witnessed the effect of the civil war, people may have not witnessed this kind of insecurity in the country.

“In the North East, it is almost like a civil war, it is even more than the civil war because in a civil war you know the battle line, either a Biafran or  Nigerian, you know where to run to.

“But this one, you don’t even know where to run to because the enemies are in your sokoto pocket. So, it is a problem. But with your prayers God has been kind and whatever the enemy contemplates he will never get there”.

Mr. Jonathan recalled that in the past, the church and government were linked together.

He regretted that in contemporary times, the separation of the two entities had led to moral decadence in the society.

He also regretted the fact that the issue of moral and religious education is gradually taking the back seat when ordinarily it should be on the front burner in national development.

Jonathan said how to mould and create a society that is conducive for people to interact is more important than the physical infrastructure that is provided, “just like the university example where the character is more important than the learning”.

“We promise to continue to do our best and continue to improve on the quality of life of Nigerians. With your prayers we will surely get there.

“The challenge of Boko Haram will surely come to an end. I always say that everything about terror is evil. It represents negative forces on earth and in human history, negative forces only terrorise people for a while but the light always subdues it with time.

“The light will surely subdue the darkness of Boko Haram. The prayers of our religious men and women will surely bring this country out of the dark stages of our history”, the president declared.

Earlier, Most Rev. Udofia had indicted security agents saying some of them are sympathetic to members of the sect.

He described the insurgency as the most unfortunate affront on the present administration.

He said the administration’s human face and all-inclusive approach should have been appreciated by Nigerians if the killings and maiming had stopped.

He said, “Since the dawn of these ugly and demonic attacks, you have been so magnanimous by applying the carrot and stick measure, yet the bombings have escalated but certainly not beyond God’s control.

“The religious connotations to all these insurgencies are most disturbing. To my mind, this is largely responsible for the continued spread and strength of these terrorist activities in the North Eastern part of Nigeria in particular.

“Some of the security agents charged with the responsibilities of combating them are silently sympathetic to Boko Haram.

“Our hope to bring an end to Boko Haram lies in our God Almighty who is the Mighty Man in Battle and ever present help of His people in times of trouble”.

The cleric said he led his members on the visit to identify with the government’s many laudable programmes and achievements, including the construction of roads, remodeling of airports, scholarship scheme for first class graduates, privatisation of power sector, establishment of more federal universities, agricultural transformation and rebasing of the GDP among others.