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President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the latest attacks by bandits in three local government areas of Katsina State, that left 47 persons dead.
Reacting to the incident, the President said he was deeply saddened by the latest development, and called on Nigerians not to despair because “this administration is ever determined to defeat and crush these criminal elements taking advantage of the lockdown to attack their victims.”
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, President Buhari said he will not tolerate this large-scale killing of innocent people by the bandits, adding that “in line with my commitment to the security of the people, these attacks will be met with decisive force.”
He directed the security agencies not to rest on their oars or lower their guard, which will create a vacuum for the bandits to strike. While extending his sympathies to the families of the victims, he called on the people to show more vigilance by reporting the activities of criminal elements in their midst.
The attacks took place in the early hours of Saturday, between 12:30am and around 3am, Katsina police said in its statement on Sunday.
“Detachments of Police, Nigerian Army, Nigeria Airforce, Civil Defence and DSS (Department of State Services) have been drafted to the area,” the statement added.
Police spokesman Gambo Isah told the newsmen that the attacks were carried out by more than 300 armed men.
“We are combing the forest to arrest those behind the attack,” added Isah.
The bandits reportedly demanded food items and other relief materials delivered to the villagers as part of government’s efforts to help locals during the coronavirus lockdown