President Muhammadu Buhari says the spate of insecurity in parts of West Africa could be traced to mercenaries of the late Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Buhari, who spoke on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja while receiving a special envoy from Chad, said the killer squad recruited and trained by the late Libyan strongman are the ones destroying West Africa as they have no other talent apart from killing.
The president noted that with the death of Gaddafi, the “mercenaries became scattered and spread out into the Sahel region, causing insecurity and chaos wherever they found themselves.”
Buhari also pledged Nigeria’s solidarity and continuous “support for the Republic of Chad, noting that Nigeria is not just a neighbour to the country, but also a brother country.”
In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari stated that Nigeria appreciates the support from Chad in tackling insurgency and insecurity in the region.
“We are aware of the problem Chad has with Libya, which supports some Chadian rebels, trying to destabilize the country,” the statement reads.
“The instability in Libya after 42 years of Muammar Gaddafi affects all of us in the Sahel region.
“From Mauritania to the Central African Republic, Gaddafi recruited gunmen, who learnt not to do anything else than to kill.
“When the Libyan leader was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms which they are using to wreak havoc all over the place.”
