Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, claimes that his principal is treating AK-47-wielding bandits worse than declaring them as terrorists like the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Shehu stated this during an interview with BBC News Pidgin on Saturday morning, while responding to a question on why Buhari has not outlawed blood-sucking bandits just as he proscribed IPOB and moved to do the same to Yoruba Nation secessionist group.
The presidential aide said Buhari has done worst to AK-47 wielding bandits than IPOB because he only proscribed the secessionist group, but gave a shoot-on-sight order against blood-sucking bandits.
“What the Buhari administration has done to the arms-wielding bandits is worse than being declared as terrorists. There is a subsisting order by the President that any arms-wielding, AK-47 bandits should be shot on sight.
“Yes, IPOB has been proscribed by law of the land, there is no shoot-on-sight order,” Shehu said.
“The Nigerian Air Force is busy bombing locations, the military is there on the ground, exchanging fire for fire, taking them out in hundreds, that is certainly not treating people (bandits) lightly,” he added.
Buhari Made Nigeria Safer – Garba Shehu
The presidential aide also said, “One thing people who say that ignore is the successes that are being recorded in many areas in the fight against insurgency in the country.”
Garba claimed there have been “enormous successes” recorded in dealing with bandits and terrorists. “For instance, Boko Haram are surrendering today in their thousands, this did not just happen,” he noted.
According to him, a lot of the bandits are being circled and taken out. “It is a matter of time, they will be substantially reduced and the Nigerian state will be safe all over again,” Shehu assured Nigerians.
KanyiDaily had reported how armed bandits recently attacked the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna, killing two officers and abducting one.