We will deal with bandits as terrorists – Buhari

*Gazette declaring bandits as terrorists will be out soon – AGF

 President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to flush out criminals ravaging the country’s North West region, saying the government will deal with bandits as terrorists.

Buhari made the comment during an exclusive interview with Channels Television aired on Wednesday evening.

“So, I think the only language they understand – we have discussed it thoroughly with the law enforcement agencies; the security chiefs, the Inspector General of Police – is to go after them; the terrorists.

“We levelled them terrorists, are we are going to deal with them as such,” President Buhari said during the interview, lamenting why people who share similar culture would go against each other.

According to him, there have been successes in the fight against banditry in the region, noting that he has had a series of meetings with heads of security agencies in a bid to tackle the issues.

“And I believe if you go to those constituencies in the North West and North Central in the last four weeks there are improvements in the security,” the Nigerian leader added.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, says the gazetting of the court order declaring bandits as terrorists will be done in the next few days.

He gave the assertion while appearing on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme in Abuja on Tuesday.

The AGF gave the assurance that the Nigerian Government is trying to ensure that its action on the matter complies with best international best practices.

Malami said: “The gazetting of a court order or judgement is a process but what matters fundamentally within the context of the international convention is the judicial declaration and that has been obtained; the court has declared bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers as terrorists.”

However, he noted that since the court had already declared them as terrorists, they remain so, adding: “So, with or without the gazette, what gives effect to such declaration is a judicial pronouncement but the gazette is a mere formality and it has been on and I believe within a matter of days, it will be concluded.”

The minister explained that because of the implication of its action, which allows the government to apply maximum force on terrorists, it wanted to be sure it operates within the confines of international laws.

He stated: “Government has a responsibility to act but within the context of acting, you’re equally expected to operate within the confines of international best practices associated with engagement, and one of such best practices is that you can only use maximum force on groups, individuals that are declared terrorists and that is where the application of the Terrorism Act comes in place.”

“Whatever military hardware you acquire, there are limits within the context of the international convention as to how it can be used, when it can be used, and against who it can be used. And that is how the idea of looking at the activities of the bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers come into being.

“Our assessment took into consideration that they are causing a major threat to the territorial peaceful co-existence and causing a major threat to lives with weapons.

“The idea then came about that indeed they (bandits) have satisfied the criteria of being declared terrorists within the context of the law so that whatever military hardware at the disposal of the federal government can best be used against them within the context of the international convention and within the context of the law,” Malami added.

He noted that the declaration of bandits as terrorists has cleared the way for “the deployment and usage” of the recently acquired Super Tucano fighter jets against them.

He further stated: “One thing I can tell you is any international conventional demands associated with the usage of the Super Tucano has been obtained which is a judicial pronouncement and declaration of bandits, cattle rustlers and kidnappers as terrorists.”

The President reiterated his commitment to providing infrastructure for Nigerians, including improving electricity.

When asked if he is happy with the nation’s capacity of electricity production, the President replied; “I am not because I identify that no country can develop without infrastructure and infrastructure means road, rail and power

“This government is working very hard on the road. Try to imagine what was happening between Lagos to Ibadan six months ago and what it is now.

“We are doing from Lagos to Kano the rail, road from here to Kaduna to Kano. So we have to get the infrastructure right and then Nigerians will mind their own business. But when the infrastructure is not there, the roads are not there, the rail is virtually killed, no power, what do we expect people to do?”

He urged Nigerian youths to use their education and exposure to improve themselves and not see them as tickets to depend on the government.

“I wish when they go to school; when they work hard; when they earn their degree, they don’t do it thinking that government must give them jobs

“You get educated because an educated person is certainly better than an uneducated person even in identifying personal problems. So, education is not meant just meant to hang on to government to give you jobs and then what the colonialists indoctrinated in us to believe – have a car, have a house; start work by 8:00 am and close by 2 pm.”