President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said that his administration is surprised by the activities of bandits in parts of the country, which he observed, had denied people of their means of livelihood.

Speaking on Tuesday in State House, Abuja when he received a delegation of eminent citizens of Niger State led by Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, he said while Boko Haram was well known to him at the time of his campaigns, he was taken aback by banditry.

He has however promised that “harder times’’ await bandits whose disruptive activities, he noted, have brought sorrow to Nigerians, kept many away from their means of livelihood, and heightened insecurity in parts of the country.

The President, who said the activities of the bandits had forced many to abandon their farms and homes, added: “we will now be harder on them.’’

A statement issued by Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) quoted the president as saying: “I was taken aback by what is happening in the North West and other parts of the country. During our campaigns, we knew about the Boko Haram. What is coming now is surprising. It is not ethnicity or religion, rather it is one evil plan against the country.

“We have to be harder on them. One of the responsibilities of government is to provide security. If we don’t secure the country, we will not be able to manage the economy properly.”