Buhari, Nigeria's Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, says he is surprised at the current surge in insecurity in the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari says the rising security challenges in Nigeria baffles him.

Receiving a delegation of eminent and respected citizens of Niger state led by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello at the State House on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, the president noted that bandits will experience harder times in the coming days.

The president said bandits disrupt human activities and bring sorrow to Nigerians who are kept away from their means of livelihood.

He said the activities of the bandits had forced many to abandon their farms and homes, stressing that “we will now be harder on them.”

“I was taken aback by what is happening in the North-West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising. It is not ethnicity or religion; rather it is one evil plan against the country," the president said according to a statement issued by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

“We have to be harder on them. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we don’t secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly. "

Crude oil in the north

President Buhari stated that the discovery of oil and gas reserves in Chad Basin, Benue trough, Bida, and some parts of Bauchi and Gombe, will further bolster current efforts to strengthen the Nigerian economy.

A former governor of Niger State, Aliyu Babangida, lamented the activities of bandits which, according to him, have rendered many homeless while preventing others from going to their farms.

He appreciated President Buhari for directing an aerial bombardment by the military.

Similarly, the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, assured President Buhari of continuous support.