Amidst mourning in Zamfara State of hundreds of villagers massacred by alleged fleeing terrorists, President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said that the military onslaughts wont stop until insurgents are eliminated.
No fewer than 200 persons have been buried according to residents of the village.
There were reports of mass killing of people by persons suspected to be fleeing from the ongoing military operations which has forced many to surrender.
According to Shawwal Aliyu, the coordinator of Zamfara Circle, a civil society organization, at least, 200 people have been buried so far after the killings.
He said, “As of today (Saturday morning), 200 people have been buried in funerals on Thursday morning, Friday morning and night and this morning. 200 dead bodies and we are still searching for dead bodies. You know it is not in one area so the search parties have been dispatched to all the affected villages where the data is being collated.
“We did not count the ones discovered after the first burial this morning. We will wait until the volunteers finish gathering and then count the number.”
On the development, the president was quoted as stating in a statement by Garba Shehu, presidential media aide, “The latest attacks on innocent people by the bandits is an act of desperation by mass murderers, now under relentless pressure from our military forces who are well equipped to effectively confront these enemies of humanity.
“In keeping with my commitment to tackle the monster of terrorism head on, let me reassure these besieged communities and other Nigerians that this government will not abandon them to their fate because we are more than ever determined to get rid of these outlaws.
“These criminals will be history because we are not going to relent in our current military operations to get rid of these thugs who have been terrorising innocent people.”
President Buhari appealed to the affected communities for patience, saying “we are fiercely determined to smoke out and destroy these outlaws who have no regard for the sanctity of life.”
While extending his sympathy to the survivors and families of those killed, President Buhari said that “the army and the air force are working together to get rid of these callous criminals as they acquire more equipment to track down and eliminate criminal gangs that are subjecting innocent people to the reign of terror, including illegal imposition of taxes on the communities under siege.”