Buhari Reacts To Southern Killings

Twelve days after Fulani herdsmen massacred over 800 people in Southern Kaduna, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally reacted to the incident.

A statement released on Thursday, January 5, by the President's spokesman, Garba Shehu, said Buhari has ordered the Inspector-General of police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, to take "strong actions" in ending the senseless violence in the state.

Since the attack, the President has been criticised for keeping mute on the crisis that claimed the lives of many Nigerians.

According to Shehu, the President also directed the IGP to personally visit the area to assess the situation firsthand.

The statement said: "President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered strong actions to deal with violence in Southern Kaduna.

"This is aimed at bringing an end to the recurring acts of violence and destruction in the Southern part of Kaduna State.

"On the directive of President Buhari, the IG of Police was in the region on Saturday and Sunday to assess the situation at first hand. In addition to the conventional policemen deployed in the area, a squadron of mobile policemen has now been stationed there."

The Nigerian army is also in the process of setting up two battalions in southern Kaduna while the military continues to carry out air surveillance across flash points of the area, Shehu said.

He added: "President Buhari has equally directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to carry out a joint assessment of the situation with the sister agency in Kaduna, SEMA, to determine the level of response required for urgent aid to the victims of the violence.

"These measures should soon ensure the return of normalcy to the region, while the Kaduna State government continues its peace building efforts. The President commended efforts of the State government and the security agencies in the steps taken so far to curtail the violence.

"President Buhari has, once again, sent condolences to the people of southern Kaduna, who have lost loved ones in the recent violence."

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The Christmas day attack is the latest in series of killings in southern Kaduna. The efforts of the security agencies and the state government to stop the violence has yielded little or no results.