TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Friday, issued a strong warning to bandits, saying his administration cannot be defeated by any criminal group.

Earlier in the day, gunmen abducted over 300 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara local government area of Zamfara.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, Buhari condemned the attack, and also urged state governors to desist from offering rewards to bandits.

TheCable highlights four important messages from the president’s statement.

ADEQUATE CAPACITY TO DEPLOY FORCE AGAINST BANDITS

Buhari emphasised that the government had the capacity to deploy massive force against bandits in the villages where they operate. However, he explained that the government is restrained by the possibility of innocent villagers losing their lives, as well as to avoid a situation in which hostages might be used as human shields by the bandits. 

REWARD FOR BANDITS WILL BACKFIRE

Buhari appealed to state governments to stop rewarding bandits, as such actions will be counterproductive in the efforts to improve security. In particular, the president urged governors “to review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles, warning that the policy might boomerang disastrously”.

BANDITS ARE NOT AS POWERFUL AS THE GOVERNMENT 

Buhari declared that the government will defeat any criminal group, no matter how strong. The president further warned bandits not to entertain any illusion that they are more powerful than the government. 

GOVT FOCUSED ON SAFE RESCUE OF VICTIMS

Buhari explained that the primary objective of the government is to ensure safe rescue of abducted persons. He noted that a “hostage crisis is a complex situation that requires maximum patience in order to protect the victims from physical harm or even brutal death at the hands of their captors”.