President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his government was doing its best to crush terrorists and criminal gangs operating in parts of the country.

The President’s media aide, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Friday said Buhari stated this at a banquet to commemorate his official visit to the state.

The President commended the support Kaduna State had been providing to security agencies, noting that the establishment of a ministry dedicated to internal security.

The statement reads, “I wish to assure the people and government of Kaduna State that the Federal Government is doing its utmost to contain and crush the terrorists that have been menacing our citizens and their property in parts of the country.

“On behalf of the Federal Government, I commend the efforts of the Kaduna State Government to respond to the demands of development. The relationship between our tiers of government represents an instance of successful collaboration between the national and state governments for progress, peace and prosperity.

“I urge Malam Nasir El-Rufai to push on and not relent in his efforts to accelerate change and progress in Kaduna State.”

On health, the President recalled the strong response of Kaduna State in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria early in 2020, welcoming the completion of the 136-bed Infectious Disease Centre inaugurated on Thursday.