President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned former Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, retired General Theophelus Yakubu Danjuma and other leaders who are in the habit of preaching hate and setting people against one another.
The President described such leaders as those who publicly preach the virtues of peace, but privately promote hate and intolerance which ultimately culminate in violent destruction of life and property.
Speaking against the backdrop of the current attacks on the people of Kona in Taraba State, Buhari stressed that attacks on innocent people in the name of revenge or whatever motives would not be tolerated by the government.
The President who ordered security forces to end the violence immediately and decisively, warned: “no group of people has the right to surround innocent people and unleash murderous violence on them.”
According to him, for people to resort to self-help is an invitation to anarchy which in turn will make everyone unsafe.
President Buhari made it clear that in a cycle of violence characterized by revenge and counter-revenge, there can be no winners, adding that in a state of permanent hostilities, people undermine not only law and order, but also their own ability to conduct their everyday businesses in peace.
“I always wonder how people can conduct their businesses in the absence of peace and tranquillity because violence ruins everything and leaves the people worse off.
“It is difficult to build a virile nation where hate and intolerance dominate the people’s minds. It’s easier to destroy than to build. People should count the economic costs of this violence to their own lives.”
The President warned that a situation where community leaders abandon their responsibilities and allow thugs to set the agenda is dangerous for peace and security in the country.
