President Muhammadu Buhari has charged the military to go harder on bandits committing mass murder in some parts of the Country.
He re-echoed his order that security should “respond to the worrying situation in a language that the bandits understand”.
The President also condemned comments by politicians encouraging criminals, arguing such comments were targeted at currying public applause rather than join in the fight against insecurity.
According to a statement on Saturday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President condemned the persistent bandit attacks on Zamfara and Kaduna States.
The Nation reports suspected bandits killed not less than 39 persons in Faru community, Maradun council area of Zamfara State on Thursday allegedly in reprisal over the killing of two of their gang members found with guns by vigilante operatives on Wednesday.
Buhari charged the military to summon courage to defeat bandits and terrorists in the country.
“President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday condemned repeated bandit killings in Zamfara and Kaduna States, urging the nation’s military to respond to the worrying situation in a language that the bandits understand.
“The President notes that the military and other security agencies are now working on new methods and policies that are yielding good results in many of the troubled parts of the country and calls for a crushing response to the killing of innocent citizens in the rural communities.
“He also avers that the nation, its military and the entire population needs to summon the courage required to defeat the bandits and terrorists.
“President Buhari condemns some politicians making utterances on security, merely seeking applause, advising them to join the ongoing genuine efforts aimed at finding lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the nation.
“He expresses the nation’s sorrow over the loss of lives, urging security agencies to do everything possible to prevent the recurrence of attacks with impunity,” the statement reads