There Is Kidnapping And Banditry Attacks In Daura – Garba Shehu

The Presidency in its recent statement over the security situation in Nigeria stated that the security agencies are not given special treatment to any town in their effort to stop kidnapping.

Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, while speaking on AIT, claimed that the abduction of Musa Uba, the husband to President Muhammadu Buhari’s niece, Hajiya Biiki, is a sign that the security operatives are not giving any town preferential treatment.

Shehu while answering questions on the increasing cases of banditry and kidnapping in Daura, he said, “Well, that has happened but I think that brings the message home that it is a national problem and that because the President comes from Daura, that is not to say there cannot be crime in Daura or Daura will be specially treated.”

“The army said two days ago that there are clear pointers that these problems are beyond criminality.”

“If you ask me about the biggest security (challenge) we met on the ground, it is Boko Haram terrorism and I will score this administration 98 per cent coming this far because Boko Haram is now confined to the fringes of Lake Chad. As a matter of fact, they jump in and out and mainly occupy communities that have not been re-occupied by their owner.”

Shehu while speaking on a report by the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, which noted that 1,071 people lost their lives in crime-related cases in Nigeria in the first quarter of this year said, “Yes, there has been a recent spike (in attacks) but this is not to suggest that this has never happened in the country and they are beginning just now because President Buhari is out of the country.”

“You mentioned the numbers but I want to say from our own point of view in the Presidency, we have avoided comparing numbers because it will lead to the same criticisms that some people have made of being insensitive because even if it is one life of a Nigerian that is lost, it is important, it cannot be justified, it cannot be defended.”

“But anybody who takes the trouble to check the Presidential website; at some point, Femi (Adesina) had done the numbers and the staggering numbers put on display coming from the past are nothing comparable to these numbers but we will not take it lightly.”