President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday promised to put a stop to the cases of attacks by herdsmen across the country.
The promise was contained in a statement made available to journalists by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.
The President urged all Nigerians to remain calm in the face of the attacks and be assured of his administration’s readiness to deploy all required personnel and resources to end what he called “this new threat to the collective security of the nation.”
Shehu said following continuing reports of the attacks particularly Monday’s attack on Ukpabi Nimbo in Enugu State, Buhari assured all Nigerians, of his administration’s continued commitment to ensuring the safety of lives and property in all parts of the country.
The President, according to the statement, condemned the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo and other such acts of extreme violence against communities in other states of the Federation.
Shehu said acting on the President’s directive, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, and heads of the nation’s other security agencies are already taking urgent steps to “investigate the attacks, apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
The statement read, “Ending the recent upsurge of attacks on communities by herdsmen reportedly armed with sophisticated weapons is now a priority on the Buhari administration’s agenda for enhanced national security and the Armed Forces and Police have clear instructions to take all necessary action to stop the carnage.
“In keeping with the President’s directive, the Inspector-General of Police, the General Officer Commanding the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army and the Director of the Department of State Security in Enugu State have visited Ukapbi Nimbo to personally oversee investigations into the attack on the community and ongoing efforts to apprehend the culprits.”
Shehu added that Buhari was scheduled to meet with Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Wednesday evening to receive further briefing on the attack on Ukpabi Nimbo and discuss additional measures to forestall similar attacks and restore public confidence.
