Following the massacre of over 200 people by bandits in some parts of Zamfara State in northwest Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday vowed to hunt down and eliminate terrorists, including those who committed the mass killings in the state.
This came as governors of the 19 northern states of the federation lauded the federal government for approving the deployment of the newly acquired Super Tucano fighter jets to rout the bandits in some parts of the country.
The governors equally commended the government for declaring bandits as terrorists.
Also, in a fierce encounter, troops of 5 Brigade, Sector 3 Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Operation Hadin Kai in the northeast have killed three terrorists in a market in Damasak, Borno State.
The federal government has however stated that the fight against insecurity and other challenges would need divine intervention.
The terrorists had on Tuesday and Wednesday attacked Rafin Danya, Barayar Zaki, Rafin Gero and Kurfa villages in Anka and Bukkuyum local government areas (LGAs) in the state.
They were said to be fleeing from Zamfara State as a result of ongoing military operations when they invaded the villages and killed over 200 people.
Reacting to the incident, President Buhari vowed to hunt down and eliminate terrorists in the country.
He said the ongoing offensive against criminals would get more intense.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the president, who was outraged by the mindless massacre, described the Zamfara killings as an act of desperation by a routed band of criminals currently under heavy military attack.
The president assured Nigerians, especially those living in communities that have recently suffered terrorist attacks, that banditry would soon be history.
Buhari said: “The latest attack on innocent people by the bandits is an act of desperation by mass murderers, now under relentless pressure from our military forces who are well equipped to effectively confront these enemies of humanity.
“In keeping with my commitment to tackling the monster of terrorism head-on, let me reassure these besieged communities and other Nigerians that this government will not abandon them to their fate because we are more than ever determined to get rid of these outlaws.
“These criminals will be history because we are not going to relent in our current military operations to get rid of these thugs who have been terrorising innocent people.
“We are fiercely determined to smoke out and destroy these outlaws who have no regard for the sanctity of life.”
The president sympathised with the survivors and families of the victims.
“The Army and the Air Force are working together to get rid of these callous criminals as they acquire more equipment to track down and eliminate criminal gangs that are subjecting innocent people to the reign of terror, including illegal imposition of taxes on the communities under siege,” the statement added.