Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari at the weekend condemned the latest round of reprisal against farmers by bandits in Damkar and Tsanwa villages in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The president, according to a statement by Malam Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, described killings under whatever guise as uncceptable.According to the statement, Buhari was reacting to the incident in which many homesteads were razed by fire with many people killed.Shehu said the president warned that “no one in the country has a right to take laws into his hands by the way of self-help or revenge.”
He added: “Local communities that catch bandits should hand over the suspects to law enforcement authorities instead of meting out capital punishment, leading to a cycle of revenge and counter revenge.”Buhari urged community leaders and local authorities to sustain efforts in partnering with law enforcement agencies which bring the bandits to surrender, resulting in peace between farmers and herders.
“The authorities must be allowed to investigate and deal with any breach that occurs.
There is no place for violence in a decent society,” he said.He prayed God to comfort families that have lost their loved ones in the attacks. He also prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims.
