Buhari Vows To Go Tough On Bandits ‘Bringing Sorrow To Nigerians’

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed “harder times’’ for bandits whose activities have led to loss of lives and destruction of property in parts of the country.

Speaking at the State House on Tuesday in Abuja, Buhari decried heightened insecurity in the North West and other parts of the country, while pledging his administration’s determination to bring the culprits to book.

The president spoke while receiving Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State and some political leaders and traditional rulers from the state at the Presidential Villa.

THE WHISTLER recalls that a recent attack by unknown gunmen was said to have claimed eleven lives while four women were reportedly kidnapped in the process.

The president said his administration “will now be harder on them’’, noting that the bandits have brought sorrow to Nigerians and had forced many to abandon their farms and homes during the attack.

“I was taken aback by what is happening in the North West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising. It is not ethnicity or religion, rather it is one evil plan against the country.

“We have to be harder on them. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we don’t secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly,’’ he said.

Buhari further decried how banditry had also affected agricultural output in some parts of the country, in spite of the favourable weather for farming, because many farmers were attacked, and others had to stay away for safety.

He however assured that through diversification into agriculture, poverty in the country will be significantly reduced.

Speaking for the group, the former governor of Niger State, Aliyu Babangida, said activities of bandits had rendered many homeless, while others could no longer go the farms, thanking the President for taking a more decisive action by directing aerial protection by the military.

Babangida called on the President to intervene in completion of some federal roads, like the Mokwa-Birnin Gwari-Kaduna road, Kotongora road, and he also asked for more attention on the Minna airport, which should complement access to the FCT.