President Muhammadu Buhari says those accusing him of sparing bandits and terrorists in Nigeria are being unfair.
Buhari said he is also treating bandits and insurgents in the language they understand.
He was reacting to an accusation of “double standards” alleging that he pampers bandits in the north while sounding tough against insurrectionists in the South-East.
Buhari spoke on Friday evening during an interview aired on NTA.
Buhari had courted controversy recently when he said those supporting insurrection and violence in the country would be shocked.
Buhari had condemned the attacks on police stations, prisons and offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, especially in the South-East, warning that, “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.”
Buhari’s statement which was also tweeted sparked outrage on social media with some Nigerians criticising the President for allegedly being insensitive to evoke the wounds of the civil war.
Twitter later pulled down the President’s tweet and the Federal Government suspended the micro-blogging platform in retaliation.