This archive report was first published on 22 July 2019.
Published on July 22, 2019, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the killing of 37 people by bandits in Sokoto state, a northwestern region plagued by violence and insecurity.
Armed gangs have been responsible for hundreds of deaths in northwest Nigeria this year, forcing at least 20,000 people to flee to neighboring Niger. The situation has added to the country's security problems, which also include an Islamist insurgency in the northeast and clashes between farmers and herders in central states.
President Buhari, a former military ruler, began his second four-year term in May after winning a presidential election in February. During his campaign, he vowed to improve security, but the recent wave of banditry and high-profile kidnappings has made it a priority.
According to a statement from the presidency, troops have been deployed to the areas hit in the latest flashpoint, and military and police have been dispatched to tackle criminal gangs blamed for a spate of killings and kidnappings over the last year.
“President Muhammadu Buhari strongly condemns the killing of 37 innocent people by bandits in the Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State,” the presidency said in the statement.
