President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the murder of 19 people by unknown gunmen in Tawari community of Kogi Local Government Area, Kogi State.
The president expressed his feelings in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Friday.
He advised the communities involved in the conflict to avoid revenge killings and taking the law into their hands so as to restore sanity in the affected areas.
Buhari said: “There is no excuse or justification for killing innocent people by anybody or group, and for whatever motive.
“The killings and revenge killings will only aggravate the cycle of violence, creating neither safety nor security for any side.
“People should avoid taking the law into their own hands because doing so could make a bad situation worse and undermine the government’s efforts to tackle security challenges.
“I am gravely worried about frequency and temptation of using violence to settle disputes instead of following lawful and amicable means to avoid needless destruction of lives and property,’’ the president added.