Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari has warned the bandits wreaking havoc across the country, saying his government has the capacity to deal with them.

In a statement Mallam Garba Shehu, his spokesman, issued on his behalf, the president vowed not to succumb to blackmail.

The president described the abduction of hundreds of students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe in Zamfara State, as inhumane and totally unacceptable.

“This administration will not succumb to blackmail by bandits who target innocent school students in the expectations of huge ransom payments.”

“Let them not entertain any illusions that they are more powerful than the government. They shouldn’t mistake our restraint for the humanitarian goals of protecting innocent lives as a weakness or a sign of fear or irresolution.”

The President appealed to state governments to review their policy of rewarding bandits with money and vehicles, warning that the policy “might boomerang disastrously.”

He also advised states and local governments to be more proactive by improving security around schools and their surroundings.