In the wake of the massacre of over 43 farmers in the northeast state of Borno on Saturday, November 28, Shehu told the BBC that the farmers should have waited for military clearance before venturing into an area brimming with landmines and terrorists.

“People need to understand what it is like in the Lake Chad area. Much of those areas have been liberated by Boko Haram terrorists but there are a number of spaces that have not been cleared for the return of villagers who have been displaced,” Shehu had said.

“Ideally, all of these places ought to probably be allowed to pass the test of military clearance before settlers or even farmers resume activities on those fields,” he had added.

The president’s spokesperson has been bashed across all social media platforms for his remarks.

He’s taken to his twitter page to shed some more light on his comments and double down as well.

“Today, I found myself leading the trends in the social media for the wrong reasons,” Shehu wrote. 

“The State of Borno is essentially a military zone up till now that we are talking and much of what people do; much of where they go are governed by the exigencies of security.

“Routinely, traders, administration officials and even UN agencies get the green light to go to many of the areas to avoid trouble.

“Information from security agencies says that the Zabarmari marshlands are infested with land mines and movements in around those areas subject to military oversight.

“No one is delighted with the massacre in Zabarmari and there is nothing anybody will gain by playing blame games.

“The question I tried to answer on BBC was: did the security sign off on the area as being free of mines and terrorists? The honest answer is, no.

“I'm human with tons of compassion and empathy, and could not have said that the victims deserved their fate for ignoring security clearance.

“I was merely explaining the mode of military operations in the war zone of the northeast. There are areas that are still volatile that require security clearance which is intended to put people out of harm's way.

“When tragedies occur, questions arise in terms of how something happened in order to avoid future recurrence. Informing the military of our movements in an area of volatility and uncertainty is intended to preserve public safety.

“Explaining why something happened doesn't mean I have no sympathy for the victims. I was just explaining the military procedures on the safe movement of the people and not supporting the death of the victims,” Shehu concluded.

Boko Haram has waged a sinister campaign against the Nigerian state since 2009, killing over 50,000 people, injuring thousands, displacing millions from their homes and worsening the food and humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation.

Three Nigerian presidents and several boots on the ground have proven futile in quashing the insurgency.