President Buhari has expressed grief over the killing, describing it as insane.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja, yesterday, President Buhari said government had given all the needed support to the armed forces “to take all necessary steps to protect the country’s population and its territory.”
Buhari said: “I condemn the killing of our hardworking farmers by terrorists in Borno State.
“The entire country is hurt by these senseless killings. My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief.
“May their souls Rest In Peace.”
Unimpressed, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the killing was an indication of President Buhari’s failure to ensure the safety of Nigerians.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party lamented that Buhari has failed to take decisive action to quell insecurity.
According to Ologbondiyan: “The PDP notes with pain that this horrific killing of compatriots comes as yet another of the recurring horrid testament and badge of failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to secure our nation and guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.
“Indeed, our party is distressed by the escalated killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians by insurgents, bandits and marauders, who have continued to ravage and pillage our communities, while the lazy and lethargic Buhari administration continues with its lip service, rhetoric and false performance claims.
“The PDP is particularly disturbed because of the failure of the Buhari Presidency to take decisive action despite series of concerns raised by Borno state governor, Baba Gana Zulum, of security compromises in the state.
“The Buhari administration appears helpless while our national security structure under President Buhari seems to have collapsed. Our nation appears to be on auto pilot with no one in charge while the ship of state continues to drift.
“All our nation gets from the Buhari Presidency is that ‘Mr. President is shocked’, ‘Mr. President is saddened’, ‘Mr. President regrets’ and such lame responses without any decisive policy direction or directive to definitively tackle the situation at hand, leading to escalation of killings in our country.”
It urged President Buhari to immediately move to Zabarmari in Borno State to empathize with the families of the victims and lead from the front in restoring security in the area.
The PDP, while commiserating with the government and people of Borno State, urged Nigerians to remain alert, particularly in providing useful information to the security agencies in the fight against insurgency in the country.