President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, emphasised that security chiefs have received the matching order to go harder on criminals, including shooting anyone found illegally with AK-47.
Buhari was quoted by the Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman to have said this when he met with the National Council of Traditional Rulers in Aso Rock.
According to the statement, Buhari said in term of security, his administration has recorded appreciable successes in the North-East and South-South of the country.
“What surprises is what is happening now in the north-west where the same people, with the same culture are killing each other, taking their livestock and burning properties,” Adesina quoted Buhari as saying in a statement.
“As a result of that, we had a four-hour meeting of the National Security Council attended by the ministers of internal affairs, defence, foreign affairs, service chiefs, chief of defence staff, the inspector-general of police and others and we gave clear instructions.
“One thing that got to the press which I read myself was that anyone with an AK-47 will be shot. This is because AK-47 is supposed to be registered and it is only given to security officials.
“We closed the borders for some years but the intelligence report I’m getting on a daily basis is that those who are conducting the abductions, the killings and so on are still not short of arms and ammunition.”
Those present at the meeting were security chiefs, including the National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd.); Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu; the Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Abubakar.
Also at the meeting were the Sultan of Sokoto; the Ooni of Ife; the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar; King Jaja of Opobo, Dr. Dandeson Douglas Jaja; Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu; Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu; and the Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi.