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Buhari reacts five days after violent attacks in Ebonyi, Anambra

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has ‘strongly condemned’  two recent violent attacks in Nigeria, five days after the incidents had taken place.

Buhari, who is in the United Kingdom on a medical trip, ‘condemned’ the attacks in his usual manner via a statement signed by Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu.

The violent attacks, which took place in Ebonyi and Anambra states, took the lives of seven and three persons respectively, including policemen.

In Ebonyi State, three communities in Íshíelu Local Government Area (LGA) – Egedegede, Obegu and Amuzu -were attacked on Monday night by suspected herdsmen, according to the State Police Command.

Reacting to the incidents on Saturday, the president said he had directed law enforcement agencies to fish out the attackers and make them face justice, adding that the perpetrators of the ‘heinous attack’ should not be spared.

In the same statement, Buhari expressed sympathy over the attack on  former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council Chukwuma Soludo.

Soludo was attacked by gunmen in Aguata LGA of Anambra State during a political rally in respect to his gubernatorial aspiration in the state.

Buhari reassured Nigerians that ongoing efforts, which had led to the record recovery of illegal weapons and arrests of a large number of arms suppliers, would be intensified.

“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack on an outstanding Nigerian, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

“Our prayers are with him and the families of the security operatives who lost their lives trying to defend innocent citizens assembled for a peaceful meeting,” Buhari said.

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Although the president did not comment on three policemen that were killed during the attack, he said his administration would ‘continue’ to empower the Police and other armed forces in their fight against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the state.

While the Ebonyi attack happened on Monday night, the attack on Soludo occurred on Wednesday.

In recent times, some have argued that the president has not shown Nigerians that he is in charge of the country due to his slow responses and sometimes silence on national issues. Nobel Laurette Wole Soyinka had said in an interview with Arise Tv on February 11 that he was not sure Buhari was in charge of the country as the Commander in Chief.



The Nobel Laurette, while commenting on the farmers-herders crisis in the nation, said being the president was beyond contesting and winning. He stressed that it was about governing the country.

“It’s not possible, in my view, that in a country that has a Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces that says he is presiding over a nation, and things get to this level. Something is critically wrong in and within the leadership of this nation,” Soyinka said.




     

     

    Buhari comments on foreign incident, ignores attacks in Nigeria

    Although the president has been in London for his ‘routine medical checks,’ he has responded to issues concerning another country while playing blind to fatal attacks in his own country.

    On Thursday, Buhari ‘condemned’ the coup attempt in Niger Republic, few days to the swearing-in of a new president.

    Buhari condemned the coup attempt through a phone call to the Nigerien president Issoufou Mahamadou, which was eventually posted on the official Twitter handle of the Presidency @NGRPresident after the Anambra and Ebonyi state attacks had occurred before his reaction on Saturday.

    Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via labolade@icirnigeria.org, on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94

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