Banditry: Buhari approves joint military, police operation in north-west

June 17, 2020 12:36 pm

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved a joint operation involving the military and police force to tackle banditry in the north-west region.

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, made this known in a statement on Tuesday.

This development comes after some of the youth in Katsina state protested the killings of residents by bandits.

The youth, under the aegis of Collation of Northern Groups, lamented the frequent attacks by bandits, after which they stormed the government house and asked the governor to step down.

The protest comes a week after a billboard bearing the picture of Buhari and Aminu Masari, governor of the state, was burnt by protesters in Yantumaki town, Danmusa local government area of the state.

Shehu, who called for calm in the state and other parts of the north-west region, said “Operation Accord”, which was launched three weeks ago, would be improved with the deployment of more night vision aircraft.

The presidential spokesman also said the military will take “appropriate steps to block gaps being exploited to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.”

He urged Katsina indigenes to be patient, saying they ought “not to give up on the military who over the years have a strong track record of quelling crises once given enough time.”

“The Presidency assures Nigerians, again, that the nation’s armed forces are fully capable of dealing with the challenges of banditry and terrorism, urging more patience as the military takes appropriate steps to block gaps being exploited to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens,” the statement read.

“Nigeria’s military has displayed its capabilities in the past and will show it again by dealing with the current challenges.

“The major forests in North Western Nigeria have been identified as home to the bandits in the region. The operation will clear all these forests.”

The European Union (EU) had said at least 160 people have been killed since May 28 over insecurity in the north-west zone.

Meanwhile, a coalition of northern youth groups has asked Buhari to sack the service chiefs over the rising insecurity in the region.

The coalition issued a 14-day ultimatum to the federal government to address the security challenges or it will mobilise its members for protest and shut down the government.