The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Yusuf Tukur Buratai, on Saturday vowed at the Army super Camp 4 in Faskari, Katsina, that the troops will ruthlessly deal with the bandits and other criminal elements that are presently terrorizing Katsina and the North-west region of the country.
He said: “So far with the brief I received this afternoon (Saturday), I am highly impressed with the level of commitment, dedication and loyalty of the troops.
“Be assured that we will be ruthless to all those criminals who are bent on disturbing the peace and security of our country. We call on the people of the states to support the troops collectively to achieve the desired objectives of having a secured Nigeria.
“We will not tolerate this attitude or conduct of molesting, kidnapping, killing and raping of innocent girls and women. We are determined to work hard with civil administrations to have a secured and peaceful Nigeria.”
Buratai, who made the declaration while interacting with the media, further commended the troops for the successes recorded so far in the region in quelling banditry and urged them not to relent until the criminals are routed.
While noting that there were challenges affecting the smooth operation of the war against bandits, he however described the challenges as not insurmountable, as the troops have been able to improvise solutions to them.
He said, “On the assessment generally, it is quite encouraging and this is what is required. I also want to thank the people of the Northwest for their support, especially Zamfara and Katsina states where our phase are located for the sake of this operation Sahel Sanity ‘’
‘’Their support and cooperation has made it possible for the neutralisation of several 100 of these bandits and arrest of 100 informants, logistic suppliers and cattle rustlers.’’
“Be rest assured, we will be ruthless to these criminals who disturb the peace and security of our country; we will not tolerate these attitude or misconduct of molesting, kidnapping, cattle rustling, raping of innocent ladies and other forms of criminality.
“We are determined to work with the civil administration to have a secure and peaceful Nigeria,” he said.
He also urged the people to continue in the same manner, adding that security issues are tackled by collective efforts and support of all.