Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, has directed the armed forces to comb the Rugu forest and rid it of insurgents launching attacks in some parts of the north.
At a dinner reception, organised for him by the Katsina State government on Thursday, as part of a two-day visit to the state, President Jonathan pointed out that the forest meant for economic purposes had turned to a hide-out and haven for insurgents who are launching attacks on the states.
The president’s trip to Katsina coincided with recent attacks by Fulani gunmen in Maigora village in the Faskari Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The attacks led to the death of dozens of people.
The Rugu forest borders the four states of Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Kaduna, and the neighbouring Niger republic.
The president also directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to immediately swing into action in the delivery of relief materials to the affected communities.
Some of the projects the president inspected while in Katsina include the Songhai Farms, the New PDP Secretariat and the Nigerian Youth Service Corps’quarters in the state.
He also visited the family of his predecessor, late Umaru Musa Yaradua, to see the mother and the members of the family.