The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has condemned the latest massacre of 15 people in Goronyo and Illela Local Government Areas of Sokoto State.
Buhari warned that the “needless and mindless violence against innocent people cannot go unpunished.”
Buhari’s fresh threat is contained in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, titled, ‘President Buhari condemns latest killing of 15 people by bandits in Sokoto State, sympathises with victims, urges security forces to redouble efforts’.
The President’s reaction comes barely one month after bandits killed 43 people in Goronyo town of Sokoto in a raid on October 18, 2021.
In his reaction in October, Buhari threatened bandits saying, “The clock of your ultimate destruction is ticking as you will no longer have a place to hide.”
A month later, now reacting from South Africa, Buhari warned that the “persistent and unprovoked violence against unarmed civilians must be met with a fierce response by the government.
“Let me once again, reassure Nigerians, that this regime will not abandon them to their fate in the face of this existential challenge caused by banditry.”
He added, “We are taking delivery of military equipment to improve the capacity of our security forces to effectively deal with this issue.
“Our military is also deploying advanced technology to enhance surveillance and related operations to locate and crush these criminals and enemies of our common humanity.”
Buhari stated that his regime will not tolerate this state of affairs where criminals deprive the people of their means of livelihood and turn them into beggars and refugees.
He said the bandits are living in a fool’s paradise if they believe that they can’t be crushed.
“The criminals cannot be lucky always; they will ultimately meet their Waterloo. Evil cannot triumph over good no matter how long it takes,” he added.
Last month, Buhari’s reaction to the killings took a similar tone.
“The days of the bandits are indeed numbered because the military capabilities of our forces are being boosted by the acquisition and deployment of advanced equipment,” he said.
He added, “The cowardly attacks on innocent people by the bandits show a rearguard action of criminals under pressure. But they will have no place to hide and our gallant security forces will not relent in the current offensive to defeat these callous enemies of humanity.”
