Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, has said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has given specific orders to military commanders to shoot non-security personnel armed with AK-47 rifles.
Shehu spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service late on Wednesday.
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He explained that the president was determined to end the senseless killings in Zamfara and other parts of the country.
He noted that the “no-fly zone” order on the Zamfara airspace was informed by reports that helicopters were flown in by gangs engaged in illegal mining of gold deposits in the state, adding that the criminal gangs allegedly supply arms to bandits in exchange.
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Garba said, “The president has ordered security forces to go into the bushes and shoot whoever they see with sophisticated weapons like AK-47.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security agencies to shoot anyone carrying AK-47 rifle.
His spokesman, Garba Shehu, made the announcement in an interview with the BBC Hausa.
Buhari also directed suppression of bandits who refused to surrender.
“The president has ordered security forces to go into the bushes and shoot whoever they see with sophisticated weapons like AK-47,” Shehu said.
Bandits have been terrorizing Northwestern states in recent years. The outlaws engage in murders and kidnap for ransom.
In February, Halilu Sububu, a bandit leader, said daily attacks were caused by a breach of agreement.
Sububu asked President Buhari to personally visit them for talks.
