President Muhammadu Buhari has warned against people taking laws into their hands, as cases of revenge killings, especially in north west, seem to be taking root.
Speaking against the backdrop of the latest round of attacks on farmers by bandits in Damkar and Tsanwa villages in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, Buhari warned that “no one in the country has a right to take laws into his hands by the way of self-help or revenge”, added that ”killing people in the name of revenge is not acceptable”.
”Local communities that catch bandits should hand over the suspects to law enforcement authorities instead of meting out capital punishment, leading to a cycle of revenge and counter revenge,” he maintained.
The president gave the warnings in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday.
Shehu said the president was reacting to the incident in which many homesteads were razed by fire with many people killed in the affected areas at weekend.
Buhari urged community leaders and the local authorities to continue their efforts in partnership with law enforcement agencies that bring the surrender of bandits, leading to peace between farmers and herders.
“The authorities must be allowed to investigate and deal with any breach that occurs. There is no place for violence in a decent society,” he said.
Buhari prayed God to comfort families that had lost loved ones in the attacks and repose the souls of the victims.
