President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has made progress with regard to stemming the tide of communal violence, farmer-herdsmen clashes, cattle rustling, and kidnapping across Nigeria.
The president vowed that he would continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for crime and criminality, as bandits and other criminal elements continue to launch violent attacks against innocent citizens.
President Buhari made this known in a statement issued by his media aide Garba Shehu, during the passing-out parade of the regular course 4/2016 cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano.
Mr Buhari promised to take care of the police officers’ welfare as they continue to fight criminals nationwide, noting that the police, notorious for brutality and extortion are their points men and they must rise to the occasion.
The statement reads, “I must specially commend the efforts and resilience of members of the Nigeria Police Force and sister agencies for the giant strides recorded so far in the fight against the prevailing security challenges.
“Across the North-Central and North-West of the country, we have made progress with regards to stemming the tide of communal violence, farmer-herdsmen clashes, cattle rustling, and kidnapping.
“As I said earlier, with the take-off of the Police Trust Fund, there has been an upgrade of infrastructure such as the construction of new barracks across the country, renovation of existing ones, construction of medical facilities, as well as procurement of modern operational vehicles.”
The president vowed that he would “continue to demonstrate zero tolerance for crime and criminality”, adding that “Those who take laws into their hands, who bear arms illegally and who seek to profit from a climate of fear and insecurity will be decisively dealt with.”
He continued, “That remains our promise to the people of Nigeria, who elected us to keep them safe and secured: the peace and stability of our dear country will continue to be of utmost importance.
“This is why the present administration has been fully committed from the start to strengthening existing relations between Nigeria and her neighbouring countries.
“It has always been clear to us that there is no way we can achieve the security we seek without the cooperation and support of our neighbours. And we have implemented at home the most far-reaching social support programme ever in the country to tackle poverty at the roots: one of the drivers of insecurity.”