President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday described himself as one of the “unhappiest” leaders in the world as banditry has become a major social vice in his administration.
Buhari said this in reaction to the spike in killings and kidnappings in Zamfara and Kaduna States.
The president has come under criticism for appearing to be silent on the issue as protesters have demanded
However, in a statement on Saturday by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, Buhari said it is absurd to think that he is indifferent to the crises in Zamfara and Kaduna states.
“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,” he said.
He added that “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,” he said.
Buhari called on affacetd communities to cooperate with security agencies, particularly the recently launched Operation Puff Adder, to battle bandits and kidnappers.
