The minority leader of the Nigeria House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari should personally issue the directive to shoot persons bearing arms illegally instead of from his aide, Garba Shehu.
Shehu, who the Senior Special Assistant to the president on media and publicity had on Wednesday during a BBC interview, said that Buhari had ordered security agencies to shoot anyone seen with AK-47 rifles.
But, Elumelu, who represents Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency in Delta state, on Thursday when he featured on ‘Politics Today’, a Channels Television programme noted that such a significant statement that borders on the security and unity of the country should be heard from the president.
He noted that although the order is a welcome development, it would be better if the president speaks directly about it.
Elumelu also said Buhari should speak up himself and condemn the activities of armed herders, whom he accused of attacking communities around the country.
“The statement credited to the media aide to Mr President is a welcome development. I would have preferred Mr President by himself to have made that broadcast,” Elumelu said.
“I will like him to outrightly condemn the activities of the herdsmen. They are everywhere, messing up all the communities, attacking people, because there are some people that are very fanatical and they will want to hear him speak.
“Yes, Shehu, his media aide, making that statement is not the same thing as Mr President making that statement.
“I will like to see Mr President making that statement himself and also making that directive that anybody seen with any form of arms, not even AK-47 alone.”
