Revenge killings in Katsina unacceptable, says Buhari, receives Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the latest round of attacks on farmers by bandits in Damkar and Tsanwa villages in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The president made the condemnation in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday.
Shehu said the president was reacting to the incident in which many homesteads were razed by fire with many people killed in the affected areas at weekend.
Buhari, who warned that “no one in the country has a right to take laws into his hands by the way of self-help or revenge”, added that ”killing people in the name of revenge is not acceptable”.
”Local communities that catch bandits should hand over the suspects to law enforcement authorities instead of meting out capital punishment, leading to a cycle of revenge and counter revenge,” he maintained.
He urged community leaders and the local authorities to continue their efforts in partnership with law enforcement agencies that bring the surrender of bandits, leading to peace between farmers and herders.
“The authorities must be allowed to investigate and deal with any breach that occurs. There is no place for violence in a decent society,” he said.
Buhari prayed God to comfort families that had lost loved ones in the attacks and repose the souls of the victims.
Meanwhile, Buhari has received prominent Islamic Scholar Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Islamic scholar was accompanied on the visit by his children with the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in attendance at the meeting.
Both Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi and Adamu Adamu are from Bauchi State.
The president had on Saturday congratulated the Islamic scholar on the conferment of an honorary doctorate degree by the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State, in recognition of his contributions to knowledge and learning.
He described the cleric as an outstanding scholar and teacher who towered above many in the field of learning, adding that ”the renowned scholar is a very lucky man who has successfully brought up his children to pursue the path of discipline and scholarship “.
Buhari noted that given Bauchi’s encyclopaedic knowledge and vast influence in Africa, ”it is impossible to find the right adjectives that can adequately do justice to his extraordinary virtues and gifts”.
He said: “Dahiru Bauchi’s physical rigour and mental acuity despite his age are admirable and incredible, sometimes making you wonder if this scholar is in his 40s.”