ZAMFARA SCHOOLGIRLS ABDUCTION: PRESIDENT BUHARI WARNS THAT HIS ADMINISTRATION WOULD NOT SUCCUMB TO BLACKMAIL TACTICS FROM BANDITS
Following the abduction of over 300 female students from the Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State, President Buhari has warned that his administration would not succumb to blackmail tactics from bandits.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, Buhari described the recent abduction as 'inhumane and totally unacceptable'.
Buhari, who sent out a strong warning to bandits and their sponsors who target innocent school students in expectation of huge ransom payments, stated that no criminal group can be too strong to be defeated by the Government.
He said; "We have the capacity to deploy massive force against the bandits in the villages where they operate, but our limitation is the fear of heavy casualties of innocent villagers and hostages who might be used as human shields by the bandits," he said, stressing that “our primary objective is to get the hostages safe, alive and unharmed.
President Buhari noted that "a hostage crisis is a complex situation that requires maximum patience in order to protect the victims from physical harm or even brutal death at the hands of their captors."
He warned the bandits: "Let them not entertain any illusions that they are more powerful than the government. They shouldn't mistake our restraint for the humanitarian goals of protecting innocent lives as a weakness or a sign of fear or irresolution."
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The President pleaded with State Governments to desist from rewarding bandits with money and vehicles, and also improve their security apparatus around schools and their surrounding.
Recall that on Thursday, President Buhari said he was not going to give amnesty to bandits and terrorists.
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