Buhari To Service Chiefs: Nigerian Lives Must Be Protected

 Following the president’s visit to Jos, Plateau state after the killings carried out by suspected Fulani’s herdsmen, he directed security chiefs in the country to remain vigilant and ensure the protection of lives and property in the country. In an interactive session with stakeholders in Plateau State in the aftermath of the recent killings Buhari said; ‘‘I will continue to pressurise members of the law enforcement agencies directly under me by the Constitution as the Commander-in Chief. About eight days ago, we had five hours security meeting of the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police. What happened here in Jos is very bad. The question of leadership, from your household to whatever you are, is justice. The bottom line is justice. That is why wherever I go, I will always appeal to the leadership of the communities, the law enforcement agencies to always have control of their constituencies,’’ he said.  Buhari who attended the meeting with Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State and his counterparts from Kebbi and Niger, condoled with the affected families, the Government and people of the State, and wished those injured a speedy recovery. Buhari also used the opportunity to appeal to everyone to avoid inflammatory utterances that endanger peace or promote conflicts.‘‘Whatever is being given to the media, we have to be very responsible about it. Take for instance the situation in Benue. The Benue subsistence farmer knows that the Nigerian cattle herder that he knows doesn’t carry nothing more than a stick, occasionally sometimes something to cut grass to feed his cattle. But the present herder, I am told, carries AK47 and people are even blaming me for not talking to them because maybe (they say) I look like one of them. There is some injustice in these aspersions,’’ the President Buhari said. According to him, “It is noteworthy that many Nigerians still acknowledge that despite the security challenges, this administration has made notable successes in the security sector.” Governor Lalong in his statement during the meeting blamed parties in the conflict in the State saying; ‘‘We are concerned as a State that the sophisticated weapons used in these attacks, from the evidences on the ground and the narrations of victims, are not those conventional to our environment for self-defence but reflective of a terrorist invasion. It, therefore, demands a justified response like that which was undertaken to address the Boko Haram insurgency,’’ he said.  Photo Credit: Getty