President Buhari has said that he is taken aback by the level of insecurity in the North-West and other parts of the country, directing security operatives to go harder on the perpetrators.

He also described banditry as “one evil plan against the country”.

The President spoke in Abuja when he received a delegation of Eminent and Respected Citizens of Niger State at the Presidential Villa led by Governor Abubakar Bello.

He said before elections, everyone knew about Boko Haram, but admitted that today; banditry had become a serious problem.

The visit came barely 24 hours after he ordered the Nigerian Air Force to bomb the bandits operating in Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara states.

According to the President, failure to secure the country will make it difficult to manage the economy.

Besides fears that farmers were unable to go to their farms for fear of attacks, President Buhari urged Nigerians to stick to farming as the surest way to contain poverty and diversify the economy.