President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security agencies to shoot anyone carrying AK-47 rifle.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, disclosed this in an interview with the BBC Hausa service.
Buhari also directed suppression of bandits who refuse to surrender.
“The president has ordered security forces to go into the bushes and shoot whoever they see with sophisticated weapons like AK-47,” Shehu said.
Bandits have been terrorizing Northwestern states in recent years. The outlaws engage in murders and kidnap for ransom.
In February, Halilu Sububu, a bandit leader, alleged that the attacks were caused by a breach of agreement.
Sububu requested President Buhari to personally visit them for talks.