The Presidency said on Friday that it was “grossly” disrespectful and unfair to refer to President Muhammadu Buhari as a murderer over the killings by suspected herdsmen in Benue and other parts of the country.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said that people should learn to express their grievances and criticisms without resorting to name calling. He said the President, in accordance with the constitution, had the primary responsibility of protecting lives and property and that he had been doing that.
- He said, “Those beating the gongs of war and fanning the embers of discord must remember what prevailed in Rwanda before the genocide of the early 90s, during which hundreds of thousands of lives were lost as a result of consistent hate speech spewing from that country’s media.
- “We must learn to express our grievances and criticisms without resorting to gutter language or to name calling, and the press has a responsibility to maintain that, even if it means calling their columnists to order.
- “Calling him (Buhari) a murderer is not only grossly disrespectful but unfair, especially when the President has written a letter to the Senate detailing his efforts to quell the crisis in Benue State.
- “The President had also dispatched the Minister of Interior and the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in the aftermath of the unfortunate incident, and receiving a direct briefing from the IG the following day.”
The presidential spokesperson also raised concerns over some media reports on the recent killings, describing them as unfortunate.