President Buhari Directs Clampdown on bandits.

The President has directed a clampdown on bandits who have refused to surrender, mandating security agencies to shoot anyone seen with an AK-47.
The Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in an interview with the BBC yesterday. He noted that the government is keen on eradicating bandits from the north.

“The president has ordered security forces to go into the bushes and shoot whoever they see with sophisticated weapons like AK-47,” he said in the interview.
“He ordered that whoever is seen with terrible weapons at all should be shot immediately.”
Regarding the recent spat in Zamfara state, Shehu noted that the Federal government had declared the state a no-fly zone following an intelligence report that arms are being transported to the bandits with private jets.

“These jets are being used to pick up gold that is being mined in some parts of Zamfara and exported. This is strong because at the moment,” he said.
“There is a Nigerian gold market in Dubai. The government is losing, the people of this country are losing, that’s why it is said that gold mining is banned for those who are not made by the government.”
The ban on mining activities in Zamfara was first announced in April 2017 amid reports that actors going after the state’s gold reserves are fuelling its security crisis.

Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has also asked the Federal Government to extend the ”no-fly zone” to Benue, Taraba and Borno, arguing that choppers even drop arms in these states bandits and insurgents.
In a related development, Governors from North-Eastern Nigeria has again called on the Federal Government to be more proactive and committed to fighting insurgency and terrorism in the country.
This was stated at the 4th North-East Governors’ Forum in Bauchi yesterday. The Chairman of the Forum Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno State, said the Federal government needs to solicit support from neighbouring countries, mainly Chad and Niger, to bring an end to the crisis.

The Chairman also said the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, should delegate powers to prosecute terrorists for stating Attorneys-General for quick and effective prosecution.
He said: “The current security situation seems to have defied solutions and is negatively affecting virtually all aspects of our lives. The appointment of new service chiefs will bring a new set of strategic initiatives to tackle the insurgency, taking new form to focus on soft targets.

“Most of the new service chiefs are familiar with the theatre of war and may not be having many challenges as we expect a further, significant improvement in the security situation in the north and country at large. We hope them to offer a counter-attack and forestall a future attack.

“We are using this opportunity to call on the federal government to seek support from our neighbours, especially the Republic of Chad, Niger, to be able to provide joint action with the possibility of ending this crisis.