On Thursday President Muhammadu Buhari pledged that his administration will deal with bandits to ensure that they do not create havoc against access to farms and food production.
Buhari spoke to reporters at the State House after observing the Eid prayer, marking the end of the month-long Ramadan fast.
Buhari assured that law enforcement agencies are working hard to regain confidence among Nigerians.
On ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity, Buhari drew attention to the series of meetings held in recent weeks.
The President said part of the resolutions had been made public by the National Security Adviser and the others kept secret.
“We are working very hard. We are hoping Nigerians will understand the problem. Nigerians know at what stage we came in in 2015, what state we are today both on security and the economy and we are doing our best.”
He commended the National Assembly for its support, saying emphatically that “the National Assembly is cooperating very well. Within the resources available, they are certainly giving us priority on our (military) requests.”
The Nigerian leader made an appeal to the nation’s elite to show a better appreciation of the problems facing the country.
“The elite should make the attempt to understand the military. If we order for weapons and armored vehicles, it takes time for the manufacturers.
“It takes time to ship them and when brought here eventually, they are taken to training institutions, train the trainers before sending them to the field. This is a very long process.
“I expect Nigerians to be more understanding on the issues involved, looking at time and available resources”, Buhari added.
