The Presidency on Sunday assured that the military is well-positioned to ward off attacks from terrorists following threats directed to President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu said in a statement that the military is battle-ready. He also urged the media not to give publicity to terror groups.
“Terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world,” the statement said.
“The country’s security and defense forces are not clueless or helpless. They have their plans and ways of doing things which they will not display in the media.
“The dilemmas in dealing with the specific case of train terrorists are manifold: punitive action like the popular call for carpet bombing of the known locations may assuage the desire of an angry public for revenge, but what about the hostages?
“They have committed no offense. All they did was to board a train.
“It suffices to say that the security forces are not relenting. They are acutely aware of their duties, responsibilities and what the nation expects of them. Whenever they embark upon those actions, they expect that the public should provide them with the needed support.”
Shehu noted that terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought by the military, the civilian population and communication service providers.
“To help the nation against ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes.
“The Presidency, in the meantime wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate,” he said.
