President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday condemned the murder of at least 58 civilians in southwestern Niger Republic by gunmen when they intercepted a convoy returning from a weekly market and attacked a nearby village.
The attacks on Monday occurred in the Tillabery region, which is near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso and has seen increasingly deadly attacks by armed groups active across the region with links to ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.
A statement by presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu said Buhari has expressed his condolences to families of victims and all citizens of the neighbouring country.
“President Buhari strongly condemns the heinous attack, declaring that Nigeria will continue to stand by all its neighbours in the fight against terrorism,” the statement said.
Buhari notes that the mass killings underscore the enormous security challenges facing Niger Republic as they prepare to inaugurate their new President, Mohamed Bazoum, and indeed the entire sub-Saharan region which needs to work more closely to end the scourge of terror.
