Buhari orders air chief to move to Zamfara

 

   President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Baba Sadiq to proceed to Zamfara and Sokoto states today and tomorrow to assess the level of killings and damages done in the areas by armed bandits.

  The President in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said the Air Chief would spend the Christmas and boxing days in the two states. In the last few years, over a thousand persons have been killed in Zamfara by armed bandits who have sacked many rural villages in the state.

   Buhari strongly condemned the killing of innocent Nigerians in Birnin Magaji community in Tsafe Local Government Area and Magami community in Faru District of Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, following attacks by suspected armed bandits. “These horrendous acts of violence are crimes against humanity. This violence must stop,” said the President. While expressing his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the attacks, the government and people of Zamfara State, the President also wished those injured a speedy recovery.

   He reassured residents of States plagued by armed bandits, including Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger, and Taraba, that their safety is an enduring commitment of his administration and he will continue to ensure that security agencies work round the clock to protect local populations. To this end, a major operation by the Nigerian Armed Forces, Police, Department of State Services and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, is being considered to restore peace and stability in the region.

   President Buhari conveyed his strong support to the Nigeria Police Force, which has already deployed Special Forces in each of the local government in Zamfara State and the Defence Headquarters’ deployment of a Special Military Intervention Force comprising more than 1,000 personnel to respond to the security challenges in the North Central and North West. These measures, among others, will be intensified to flush out the bandits from wherever they are.