PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan gave reasons why it is difficult to treat the Boko Haram Islamic militants the same way the Niger Delta militants were granted amnesty by the Federal Government.

The president said the Boko Haram sect remains a faceless militant group, with no clear public figurehead or negotiable aims, and without a clear identity.

He said, 'If they clearly identify themselves now and say this is the reason why we are resisting, this is the reason why we are confronting government or this is the reason why we destroy some innocent people and their properties, then there will be a basis for dialogue.

'We will dialogue; let us know your problems and we will solve your problem, but if they don't identify themselves, who will you dialogue with?'

Jonathan, who spoke yesterday in an exclusive interview with the Reuters, acknowledged that military confrontation alone would not end the sect insurgence. According to him, 'Military confrontation alone will not eliminate terror attacks.'

But he stressed that because it has been very difficult for the Federal Government to treat the Islamic militants the way it did with the militants in the oil rich Niger Delta who were granted amnesty, because the Boko Haram sect has no clear public figurehead or negotiable aims.

'If anybody invited Osama bin Laden (to talks), he wouldn't have appeared, Boko Haram, if you invite them, they will not come. They operate without a face, they operate without a clear identity, so it is difficult to interface with such a group.

'That is the greatest difference between Boko Haram and the Niger Delta issue, he said.

On the Boko Haram links with the Al Qaeda's north African wing, Jonathan said: 'There is a lot of evidence there are linkages, no doubt about that.

Meetings are being held in North Africa, the movement of people in these places have been monitored and noticed. The level of involvement and probably in terms of funding and equipment, I do not know.'

The president said terrorism is new in Nigeria, and since its new, the security services have to change their methods. 'You cannot change methods overnight. But we will do more,' he stressed.

While not ruling out the possibility that some northern politicians might be using Boko Haram militants for intimidation, Jonathan said he was aware there were sympathisers with the group at all levels of government.

'I will not rule out that, maybe some politicians get close to some members of Boko Haram; but I will not say that Boko Haram is a political group trying to undo Goodluck Jonathan. I cannot say it's because a southerner and a Christian is president that the Boko Haram saga comes up,' he said.

Boko Haram insurgence claimed over 500 lives last year and more than 250 in the first weeks of this year in gun and bomb attacks in various parts of the northern part of the country.

Only last Friday, the sect through serial bombs and gun duel killed 186 people, prompting the president to visit the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, and surviving victims of the coordinated attacks.