President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday said that he 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.
The president made the position in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu, in response to the viral video showing footage of terrorists flogging the remaining 43 of the over 61 passengers, kidnapped in the March 28 attack on a Kaduna-bound train.
The President said that he would not be arm-twisted into responding to propaganda promulgated by terrorists as the military was quite aware of its duties.
In the statement titled ‘Latest version of terror propaganda and military readiness’, the President said, “Terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands are not new all over the world.
“The country’s security and defence 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 offence. All they did was 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,” the statement partly read.
Further noting that terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought by all actors – the military, the civilian population and the communication service providers.
“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.
“To help the nation against the ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes,” the statement further read.
