Buhari receives backlash over civil war comments

President Muhammadu Buhari has been chastised on social media for a recent comment in which he promised to experience the memories of the 1967 civil war.

“I receive daily security reports on the attacks on critical national infrastructure, and it is very clear that those behind them want this administration to fail. Whoever wants the destruction of the system will soon have the shock of their lives. We’ve given them enough time.”

“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,” President Muhammadu Buhari posted via his twitter account, warning against the burning of INEC offices across the country on Tuesday.

“I have assured INEC that we will make available to them everything they need to operate efficiently, so that no one will say we don’t want to go, or that we want a third term. There will be no excuse for failure. We will meet all of INEC’s demands,” he also stated.

However, the comment sparked outrage on social media, with Nigerians accusing President Buhari of threatening civil war-like terror. The Nigerian Civil War, often known as the Biafran War, lasted two years and six months and resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.

From 6 July 1967 until 15 January 1970, a war was waged between the Nigerian government, commanded by General Yakubu Gowon, and the breakaway state of Biafra, led by Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu.

While many people chastised the President for threatening war, others called for him to be banned from social media for propagating hate speech.