President Muhammadu Buhari says he is no longer to blame for the continued captivity of Kaduna train kidnap victims in terrorists den, insisting that he has provided everything the military needs to rescue them.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the president asked the press and other Nigerians no to fall for the antics of the terrorists to whip up public sentiments and blackmail the government into giving in to the unwholesome political demands of the criminals.
The presidency statement is in reaction to the viral video of the terrorists mercilessly flogging the kidnap victims and threatening to kidnap President Buhari too.
Assuring Nigerians that the government and security agencies are making efforts not known to the public to rescue all kidnap victims in the country, the presidency solicited for more support towards achieving this target without hurting innocent citizens.
“The Presidency wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate”, said the statement issued by Buhari senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu.
The statement reads in full: “Terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world.
“The country’s security and defense forces are not clueless or helpless. They have their plans and ways of doing things which they will not display in the media.
“The dilemmas in dealing with the specific case of train terrorists are manifold: punitive action like the popular call for carpet bombing of the known locations may assuage the desire of an angry public for revenge, but what about the hostages? They have committed no offense. All they did was to board a train.
“It suffices to say that the security forces are not relenting. They are acutely aware of their duties, responsibilities and what the nation expects of them. Whenever they embark upon those actions, they expect that the public should provide them with the needed support.
“Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought by all actors- the military, the civilian population and the communication service providers. This is the only way safe havens of terrorists are eliminated in every part of the world.
“To help the nation against ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes.
“The Presidency, in the meantime wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate.”