President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the military to respond "robustly" to reports of killings and kidnappings in Niger State, as well as to use force to achieve strategic goals.
Garba Shehu, the President's Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity, said in a statement on Sunday that the President gave the order to the Defense Headquarters.
President Buhari, he said, had launched a major military operation in Niger State, which had been subjected to ongoing attacks on its communities by bandits and remnants of Boko Haram terrorists fleeing war zones in the country's Northwestern and Northeastern regions, as Commander-in-Chief of the nation's armed forces.
"I would like to extend genuine sympathy to the government and people of Niger State following recent security incidents," President Buhari stated in a message to the state's administration and people.
The President reiterated that security is everyone's duty, and that "only by solidarity and cooperation with law enforcement agencies will we finally solve the challenges."
"The federal government is eager to increase its support and cooperation with all states." In a statement headlined "President Buhari Sets the Ball Rolling for a Big Military Operation in Niger State," the President stated, "I believe that with the complete collaboration of the populace, we can undoubtedly overcome this situation."
Bandits attacked towns in Niger's Shiroro Local Government Area on Tuesday, killing 13 people in an incident that occurred during the day at Nakundna and Wurukuchi.
The attack on Tuesday happened less than two weeks after gunmen killed two people and kidnapped three Chinese expats working on the Zungeru Dam.
DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Police Command, also revealed that suspected bandits/terrorists attacked several farmers harvesting crops on their farm in Nakundna village near Kaure in Shiroro LGA.
In a statement released by his Chief Press Secretary, Mary Noel Berje, Niger State Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said the most concerning aspect of the security difficulties was farmers' inability to harvest their farm produce, which might lead to food scarcity in the state.
A coordinated and simultaneous strike on terrorists by security officers in the impacted states, according to the governor, would go a long way toward attaining success.
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