President Muhammadu Buhari has cautioned Nigerians against panic, violence or retaliation in reaction to viral videos of gruesome murder on non-indigenes in Southeast allegedly perpetrated by the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, the President said the caution was necessary as experts are still verifying the authenticity of the horrid videos.
So, no knee-jerk or hasty responses should follow the release of the videos as such may exacerbate the prevailing situation, said the statement, which also ad used against further sharing of the visuals on social media.
The statement reads: “The Presidency wishes to caution against any knee-jerk reactions, the creation of panic, disruption of lives and livelihoods, or even retaliatory violence following the viral videos of the alleged killings of non-indigenes by the Eastern Security Network (ESN) and its mother terrorist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“While expert agencies are now verifying the factuality and veracity of the claims that accompany the horrid pictures being circulated, we call on all citizens to avoid hasty steps or conclusions that could exacerbate the situation, and on the contrary keep to a line of conduct that will help the law to take its proper course.
“The Presidency also cautions the public against the indiscriminate sharing of posts on social media so as to deny vested interests who seek to divide us and create disturbance the chance to do so.
“In the issuance of his very strong condemnation of these ‘wild, barbarous and wanton killings of innocent people’ in the South-East as well as the other parts of the country, which he described as ‘deeply distressing’, President Muhammadu Buhari warns the perpetrators of these acts to expect tough response from the security forces.”
