By Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday reiterated his position that bandits and other agents of insecurity should be dealt with in the language they understand.

Condemning the persistent bandit attacks on Zamfara and Kaduna states, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, yesterday, the President charged the nation’s military to go harder on the bandits that are committing mass murder in different parts of the country.

The President, who re-echoed his earlier order that security personnel should “respond to the worrying situation in a language that the bandits understand”, also condemned comments by politicians encouraging criminals, saying that such comments were targeted at currying public applause rather than join Nigeria in its fight against insecurity.

It will be recalled that suspected bandits killed no fewer than 39 persons in Faru community, Maradun Local Government Area, Zamfara State on Thursday, allegedly in reprisal of the killing of two of their gang members found with guns by vigilante operatives on Wednesday.

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According to the said statement, Buhari charged the military and other security agencies, as well as the entire population, to summon courage to defeat bandits and terrorists in the country.

The statement reads: “President Muhammadu Buhari Saturday condemned repeated bandit killings in Zamfara and Kaduna States, urging the nation’s military to respond to the worrying situation in a language that the bandits understand.

“The President notes that the military and other security agencies are now working on new methods and policies that are yielding good results in many of the troubled parts of the country and calls for a crushing response to the killing of innocent citizens in the rural communities.

“He also avers that the nation, its military and the entire population need to summon the courage required to defeat the bandits and terrorists.

“President Buhari condemns some politicians making utterances on security, merely seeking applause, advising them to join the ongoing genuine efforts aimed at finding lasting solutions to the challenges confronting the nation. He expresses the nation’s sorrow over the loss of lives, urging security agencies to do everything possible to prevent the recurrence of attacks with impunity.”