President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed concern over the spate of banditry in Zamfara State and the North-Central region.
He also reiterated the commitment of his administration to safeguard the lives and property of all citizens irrespective of their socio-economic status in society.
Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, (rtd), said the president made this position known at the routine meeting of the National Security Council, which was presided over by President Buhari on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Magashi, the security chiefs updated the president on the latest security situations across the country, including the renewed onslaught against bandits in Zamfara and other North-West and North-Central parts of the country.
“This meeting was called in order to keep the C-in-C abreast on the current happening in the North-West and North-Central, in respect of the improvements, problems and any other thing associated with the insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and the rest of it.
“From the meeting, we believe that the spate at which these things are happening in Zamfara State and North-Central is a source of concern to the government and to all agencies that are responsible for the execution of the operations in the North-Central.
“We discussed the need for urgency in our dealing with the bandits. We believe they’re becoming a nuisance; killing people, they are doing what they like, they make careless statements, they say what they think they should say in order to solicit the kind of audience they want from society.
“Security, as far as this country is concerned, is the paramount important thing in this country, without security, nothing will happen and the Commander-in-Chief has emphasised this today, that without security, nothing can go”.
On the newly acquired Super Tucano fighter jets, the minister said the jets were being tested while an additional six of the fighter jets would arrive in Nigeria by the end of September.
“We are just testing them; six are still coming by the end of… maybe next week. So, when the twelve of them are here, I think the Chief of Air Staff will brief you on the operations that they are to undertake as soon as possible”.
