Zabarmari Massacre: Presidency reveals why Buhari has not sacked service chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has described calls for the sacking of service chiefs by Nigerians and other political activists as “out of place”.

According to him, the president is satisfied with their performances, insisting that the decision to sack or retain any of the service chiefs is entirely Buhari’s.

His comment comes after the terrorist group, Boko Haram killed 43 rice farmers in Borno. The killings which have come to be called the Zabarmari massacre is described by many as one of the bloodiest since the insurgency group became a household name in 2009.

“I am not aware that the tenure of service chiefs is subjected to any law of regulation that is clearly stated. They serve at the pleasure of the president and (if) the president is satisfied with their performance, he keeps them. The buck stops at his table — with due respect to the feelings of Nigerians," he said on Arise TV.

“The clamour for the sack is out of place considering that the president is not subject to opinion of the opposition political party which has clamoured for this all the time. It is entirely his own determination; he decides who he keeps as his service chiefs and for how long,” Shehu said.