Why northern Nigerians boo Buhari during visit to victims of attack

Residents of Maiduguri, in the northern Nigerian state of Borno, booed President Muhammadu Buhari’s convoy as it arrived for a “sympathy visit” on Wednesday following an attack in the region that left 30 people dead.

Bandits burned travelers as they slept in their vehicles during an overnight stopover in the nearby village of Auno on Tuesday.

A video shared online shows young people shouting “Ba ma so”, which in Hausa means “we don’t want”, at the presidential convoy: “one year after he and Yakubu of INEC wrote 1million votes for themselves”, the message sound on twitter. “You can rig the numbers, but you can’t succeed as President with a mandate the people did not freely give you,” the Twitter user pointed out.

“Buhari failed his first term, he is still failing today,” he concluded his message with video.

President Buhari flew to Maiduguri on Wednesday from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where he made a state visit. After meeting with residents and local government officials in Borno state, President Buhari tweeted his “assurance” to all Nigerians that security improvements were underway: “I assure all Nigerians that we are taking steps to ensure improvement in security, nationwide,” he started.

“In Borno, the military will work harder to deal with the insurgents. I am also appealing to community leaders and the populace to give our troops the intelligence and cooperation needed.”

Nigerian media reported that residents said they were tired of promises made by the government and wanted action taken to end the attacks.