President Muhammdu Buhari was booed on Wednesday by residents of Maiduguri during his sympathy visit to the area that was recently attacked by the Boko Haram insurgents.
Buhari had landed in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia after the Thirty-third (33rd) Ordinary Session of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, to pay a sympathy visit to the government and people of the state who were struck by the attack.
Although, President Buhari, in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu, commiserated with the family of victims of attacks, and assured them that his administration will continually frustrate the devilish operations of Boko Haram, with a promise that it will soon be a thing of the past.
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In a viral video, residents of the metropolis, who came out early, lined up on both sides of the road along the airport way, expressing their disapproval by booing Buhari’s convoy, with a loud chorus in Hausa, ‘Ba ma so’ which means: ‘we don’t like it.’
The President further said his administration is ever determined to frustrate their goal to hold Nigeria to ransom. “The commitment of this administration to protect the lives of Nigerians will not be derailed by the cowardly and indiscriminate violence against innocent people by Boko Haram terrorists,’’ he said while reacting to recent attacks in Maiduguri.
President Buhari, who also condoled with the government of the state, warned “that terrorists are clearly on a back foot and their days are numbered’.’ “As our armed forces continue to receive more hardware and intelligence to counter our current security challenges, the remnants of Boko Haram will ultimately be crushed. The peculiar challenges of asymmetric warfare notwithstanding, our armed forces are ever determined to defeat these enemies of humanity,’’ President Buhari said.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday night killed 30 passengers from dozens of travelers that were forced to pass the night in Auno, a community 25 kilometers away from Maiduguri. Some of the victims, including a mother and an infant, were reportedly burnt beyond recognition by a fire from a petrol tanker set ablaze by the terrorists.
However, Nigerians have taken to Twitter to express displeasure, while some had frowned on the actions of the perpetrators, see tweets below:
Buhari Booed in Maiduguri today.
Hausa: “Bama so”.
English: “We Don’t want you”.
Over twenty escorts cars for a condolence visit!!!#BuhariInMaiduguri #AunoMassacre pic.twitter.com/2RrTzIVhbR
— Adetutu Balogun, MBA (@Tutsy22) February 12, 2020
Bamaso, Bamayi to Buhari in Maiduguri. Meaning we don't want, we are not interested pic.twitter.com/8rbnIEddho
— Hamma (@HAHayatu) February 12, 2020
VIDEO: Watch as President Buhari is booed in Borno State as he visited following Boko Haram attack in Auna.
Note that this is the base of the President and a response like this from those in the eye of the storm is very SYMBOLIC.
Enough is enough. Something must give. Sigh. pic.twitter.com/QnH4B1oc5r
— Banqie (@AdeBanqie) February 12, 2020
For Maiduguri people to booing buhari, then you should know them Abba kyari and that Tukur of a guy have failed the north east region
Buhari cabinet are useless plus him
— Arewa Twittér (@ArewaTwiter) February 12, 2020
Buhari getting booed in Maiduguri is instructive. If this doesn't push for a more drastic and decisive move in rejiggering our security architecture, it should at least worry the APC brand. If PMB can be booed in Maiduguri I wonder how they intend to sell anyone going forward.
— Abu Rayyan (@Abdulrahmanleme) February 12, 2020
President Buhari has obviously lost the cultist support he once enjoyed in Maiduguri as a result of his failure to stop the endless attacks and killings by BHTs. pic.twitter.com/5E9fYqJGDU
— Kanuriland (@kanuriland) February 12, 2020
Nigerians we don't take lots of things serious, @Mbuhari, INEC cancelled election barely 6 hours before the time and till today we did not take INEC chairman or Buhari GOVT to court. Buhari wants to Borrow $17b. we still owe $80b, world bank and african develoment bank refused.
— SAVE THE YOUTHS,WOMEN AND CHILDREN OF NIGERIA (@Engr_Henry20) February 12, 2020
Buhari was in Ethiopia, we all wailed, for him to cut short his trip n come back home, He flew directly to Borno, he was booed out of anger, but children of perdition are happy he was booed, n not that he defy d odds n flew back to commisserate. Toh Mu Yanzu muka fara Sai Baba🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/Xru4dLrV1z
— Mustapha Ali (@Mr_garko) February 12, 2020
16 People were burnt to death in a Local govt in Kaduna State yesterday.
The security situation right now is beyond Buhari's capacity. He is grossly incompetent and clueless.
Don't wait to become a victim before you ask this man to go back to his cows in in his Daura farm.
— Mr Integrity (@Intergrity56) February 12, 2020
Buhari in Maiduguri. What the peoples are saying
HAUSA….. Bama so
ENGLISH…'We don't like' pic.twitter.com/YBzRQKYLKq— Ismail Yusuf (@Abubaffah2020) February 12, 2020
and then