The federal government of Nigeria has designated all kidnappers and criminal armed groups as terrorists, vowing that they will be dealt with appropriately.
The announcement was made on Monday by the Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, during the end-of-the-year press briefing in Abuja.
According to him, any individual or group that kidnaps children, attacks farmers or communities would no longer be able to escape as common criminals, but would be labelled and dealt with as terrorists.
“Henceforth, any armed group or individual that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers, and terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist.
“Now, the era of ambiguous nomenclature is over. If you terrorize our people, whether you are a group or you are an individual, you are a terrorist and will be classified as such. There is no name hiding under this again,” the Minister said.
Mohammed praised the improved collaboration between the nation’s security forces, saying it has yielded greater results.
He added that in a bid to secure vulnerable rural areas, the government has announced the deployment of trained and equipped forest guards, saying that these personnel will combine surveillance, local intelligence, and rapid-response capabilities to secure forests and remote locations often used as hideouts by criminal groups.
According to him, the forest guard initiative is expected to disrupt criminal supply routes, dismantle camps, and provide reassurance to farming communities affected by insecurity.
Obvious Results
The Information Minister noted that Nigeria has recorded a string of victories against criminals, terrorists and bandits in recent times, including the capture of a wanted terrorist on the African continent, Abu Barra, who had a substantial bounty placed on him by the United States.
“The most internationally wanted criminals, the ISWAP head residing in Nigeria, has been captured through the coordination of all the security agencies and those also in the intelligence community.
“Don’t forget that Abu Barra was captured a few months ago, and he was also presented to the public by the National Security Advisor and other security chiefs.
“This is one of the most wanted terrorists on the African continent, and he was captured through the coordination of our security forces.
“Remember also, this was someone who had a large sum of money put on his head by even the Americans to capture him and bring him to justice.
“As we speak today, this gentleman, together with his chief of staff, are undergoing and having their day in court, and he is going to get justice that befits them,” he said.