The Presidency has condemned the Saturday attack on travellers from a religious event in Bauchi, passing through Jos, the Plateau State Capital, which resulted in the reported deaths of at least twenty-two persons with several others injured during an ambush on their travelling party.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President
on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu on Saturday in Abuja.
READ ALSO: Lalong condemns fresh killing of commuters in Plateau community
The statement which described the attack as barbaric and an unacceptable act of terror call on members of the society to remain calm and vigilant.
Shehu said “With the evident preparedness of the attackers, it is clear this was a well-conceived and prearranged assault on a known target, location and religious persuasion of the travellers, not an opportunist ambush.
“The Presidency offers condolences to the families of the victims and will continue to liaise closely with local authorities – all security outfits, the police, and relevant government agencies.
“These kinds of attacks on our country’s citizens are unacceptable, heinous, and stand in complete contradiction to the teachings of the great religions of our nation.
“The Presidency stands steadfast with both Christians and Muslims at this time in condemnation of this latest attack and will make sure that justice is swift – but fairly – delivered to the perpetrators.
“Make no mistake about it: in line with my commitment to protect all Nigerians, I have ordered our security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of this gruesome massacre of innocent travellers and bring them to justice,” The statement quoted President Buhari saying.
“As the facts of the sad incident continue to unfold, the Presidency commends the ongoing efforts by the Governors of Plateau, Bauchi, and Ondo; the Sultan of Sokoto His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar III and Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi as well as a number of notable Christian and Muslim leaders as they intensify efforts to calm down the situation
“Though it is generally known that Plateau State has been one of the states affected by herder-farmer clashes, which have, in a significant way, been curtailed following the intense peace-building efforts of the administration of Governor Simon Lalong.
“However, to be clear, this is not an agriculturalist-on-pastoralist confrontation – but rather a direct, brazen and wickedly motivated attack on members of a community exercising their rights to travel freely and to follow the faith of their choosing.
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