President does not have solutions to all the problems confronting the country – Garba Shehu

Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, says some traditional rulers are aiding bandits in Katsina, the state President Muhammadu Buhari hails from.

Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Monday, Shehu said these traditional rulers help gunmen escape when security agencies are planning attacks.

Katsina has come under attacks by gunmen in recent times. A number of people have lost their lives and property in the incidents.

Shehu said there are people who are benefiting from the attacks.

He said: ‘In my @channelstv appearance this morning, I referred to cases of some low level traditional rulers in Katsina State and the neighboring Zamfara where more of such leaders including Emirs were flushed out of the system for being found to be in unholy alliances with bandits.

‘If someone is merely a headline reader, he/she might have wrong impression, from what is being reported by the digital press, that the entirety of the traditional institution in Katsina is complicit in the episode. Nothing can be farther from the truth.

‘Under the leadership of their Highnesses, the Emirs of Katsina and Daura, traditional rulers in the state have continued to support security and law enforcement agencies in tackling the problems of kidnapping and banditry that reared their heads in the state.

‘Many of them have indeed paid the supreme price for doing their duty to their people, the state and the nation. May their souls Rest In Peace.

‘When, however, a few bad eggs are discovered and made an example of, as is bound to happen, that is to show good leadership by the Emirs, who sit on top of the pack and the state governments.’

“In neighbouring Zamfara, emirs and district heads, quite a number of them have been swept out of office. The thing is there are beneficiaries of whatever rotten system you have.

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“At some point, the Nigerian Air Force had to put a number of aircraft in Katsina, they are still there. In the early part of that operation attacking Zamfara which then was the epicentre.

“They realised that once aircraft took off from Katsina airport, before it got to Zamfara for operation, telephone calls would have been made and targets would have disappeared. In the end we were forced to be flying from distant places like Kaduna and Kano in order to undertake operations in Zamfara.”

Shehu said the president does not have the solutions to all the problems confronting the country.

“All of us as citizens have a duty to the nation to provide information to our armed forces,” he said.