President Muhammadu Buhari has said that it is unjustifiable to blame him for the killing of Nigerians by suspected armed herdsmen in different parts of the country.

Buhari vowed to prosecute the perpetrators of killings in Plateau State, assuring that he would not relent in his responsibility to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian.

This is as Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau declared that over 200 people died in the attacks.

Lalong said the gory pictures of the killing of innocent citizens, women and children continue to “torment our hearts.”

The President spoke yesterday at an interactive session with stakeholders in Jos, the Plateau State capital, in the aftermath of the recent killings in some communities in the state.

Suspected herdsmen had laid a 48-hour siege to eight villages of Gashish and Ropp districts in Barkin Ladi and Riyom Local Government Areas of Plateau.

The villages are Xland, Gindin Akwati, Ruku, Nghar, Kura Falls and Kakuruk all in Gashish District as well as Rakok, Kok and Razat villages all in Ropp District.

While commiserating with relatives of those who lost their loved ones, Buhari said the killings in Zamfara State was, however, more than the numbers recorded in Plateau and Benue states put together, stressing that Plateau killings should not be seen as a religious crisis.

Buhari after an official visit to Calabar, the Cross River State capital, proceeded to Jos to assess the situation of things after Saturday killings.

He said those who blame him for not talking to the killers because they are suspected Fulani herdsmen were not being fair to him.

“Take, for instance, the situation in Benue. The Benue subsistence farmers know that the Nigerian cattle herders that he knows carry nothing more than a stick, occasionally sometimes, something to cut grass to feed his cattle.

“But the present herder, I am told, carries AK47 and people are even blaming me for not talking to them because maybe (they say) I look like one of them.

“There is some injustice in these aspersions,” the President stressed.

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, in a statement, stated that during the interactive session Buhari directed security chiefs in the country to remain vigilant and ensure the protection of lives and property in the country.

Buhari also urged traditional and community leaders to complement government efforts by persuading their constituencies to tolerate one another for peace and unity in the country.

He said: “I will continue to pressurise members of the law enforcement agencies directly under me by the Constitution as the Commander-in-Chief. About eight days ago, we had five hours of security meeting of the service chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police.

“What happened here in Jos is very bad. The question of leadership, from your household to whatever you are, is justice. The bottom line is justice. (New Telegraph)

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