President Buhari Makes Powerful Promise To Nigerians

On Saturday, President Muhammadu Buhari promised Nigerians that one of the major priorities of his administration is to putting an end to the incessant attacks by bandits in Zamfara and other states.

According to reports, the President made the promise in a statement issued by Femi Adesina, his spokesman, in reaction to the recent increase in bandit attacks and kidnappings across the country.

The President sympathized with the victims of the attacks and promised to do whatever it takes to make sure Nigeria’s security faces the bandits and deal with them mercilessly.

The President, who referred to himself as one of the most unhappy leader in the world, called for the support of security agencies from the communities especially on the recently launched “Operation Puff Adder” whose sole purpose is to battle bandits and kidnappers.

He expressed regret that bandits had informants within some communities adding that it is utterly reprehensible that certain communities have signed protection deals with bandits at the expense of other communities, thereby creating complications and frustrating government’s intervention.

The president appealed to communities to report suspicious movements of bandits into their domains within the shortest available opportunity.

“How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killings of my fellow citizens by bandits? I am human and I understand the pains of the victims and their families who have been traumatized and impoverished by constant ransom demands by bandits.

The politicisation of tragedy reveals the darkest sides of our primitive politics. Almost every week, I summon my security chiefs to get an update on the strategies being devised to defeat these mass murderers.

“There is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security because, as an elected president, protecting the citizens of my country is one of the primary functions of my administration.

I constantly listen to our security personnel in order to understand their problems and needs, and I have never hesitated to attend to those needs in terms of motivating and equipping them to respond effectively to our security challenges.

“It is therefore ridiculous to suggest that I am indifferent to these killings. I have ordered rapid and robust deployment of troops to all the areas currently under attack from bandits and we are determined to tackle this challenge ferociously until these remorseless killers are crushed and utterly defeated,” the president said.