President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the military to respond “robustly” through the use of force to the cases of killings and kidnappings in Niger State.
The president gave the order through a Sunday statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu titled, “President Buhari Sets The Ball Rolling For A Big Military Operation In Niger State”.
According to the statement, the directive was issued to the Defence Headquarters “a few days ago”.
“President Muhammadu Buhari as Commander-in-Chief of the nation’s armed forces has set the ball rolling for a major military operation in Niger State which has faced continued attacks on its communities by bandits and remnants of Boko Haram terrorists fleeing theaters of war in the Northwestern and Northeastern parts of the country,” the statement read in part.
In his message to the government and people of Niger State, President Buhari said, “I would like to express sincere sympathies to the government and people of the State following recent security incidents.”
The President reiterated that security is a responsibility of every member of the community and only through solidarity and cooperation with law enforcement agencies can we defeat the problems finally.
“The Federal Government is willing to strengthen support and cooperation with all the states. I believe that with the full cooperation of the citizens, we will surely overcome this problem,” said the President.