President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the horrific attack on a convoy returning from a weekly market in Niger Republic’s Tillaberi region in which many citizens were killed.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Wednesday, Buhari extended his condolences to families of victims and all citizens of the neighbouring country.
The Nigerian leader denounced the heinous attack, declaring that Nigeria will continue to stand by all its neighbours in the fight against terrorism.
According to him, 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.
He, therefore, stressed the need for the sub-region to work more closely to end the scourge of terror.
Armed men in South-Western Niger intercepted a convoy returning from a weekly market and attacked a nearby village in the Tillaberi region, which is near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso.
Over 53 innocent traders were reported to have been killed by the gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram/ISWAP sect.