FG Calls On Western Allies To Declare Bandits, Boko Haram, IPOB As Terrorists

 The federal government yesterday said that it was
continuing to put pressure on its western allies to
“proscribe” bandits, Boko Haram and the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as terrorists.

The government said that doing so would severely
reduce the funding for the groups, noting that it was
doing all within its powers to ensure that a stop is
put to the killings throughout the country.
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu
Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu,
made the assertion yesterday in reaction to an
editorial by Daily Trust newspaper titled: “Life Has
Lost Its Value Under Buhari’s Nigeria.”
While the federal government had earlier designated
both Boko Haram and IPOB as terrorist
organisations, last month, it finally got a Federal
High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Taiwo
Taiwo to add bandits to the list.
The presidential spokesman stated that aside
proscribing the three groups, its friends in the West
should partner Nigeria in areas of trade and
investment to deplete the reservoir of unemployed
Nigerians where the various violent groups recruit
their members from.
According to the presidency, the economic
instability that the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked
has further proven an effective recruitment tool for
bandits and terrorists across the nation in particular
and the African continent as a whole.
“Even as the West continues to extricate itself from
Africa militarily, we are lobbying our Western allies
aggressively for partnership, investment and support
in other areas, such as proscribing Boko Haram,
bandits and IPOB as terrorist groups.This would
severely dent their funding
“(We are asking) them for investment in trade and
infrastructure, to help lessen economic instability;
and to help with technical assistance, advanced
weaponry, intelligence and ordinance,” the
presidency stressed.
Shehu explained that although this will likely be
small comfort to the families and loved ones of
those already lost, ridding the country of avoidable
deaths is a battle the federal government is fighting
without let up.
Stating that the growing instability and violence in
the north of Nigeria and elsewhere were
unacceptable, the federal government pointed out
that no one, not least the presidency underestimates
the seriousness of the situation.
“Every day, the president holds the victims and their
families in his thoughts and prayers. Above all, he
wishes to reassure them – and all Nigerians – that
tackling the scourge of banditry and terrorism
remains this government’s first priority,” the
government added.
However, Shehu argued that in respect of violence
and terrorism, Nigeria is not unique, arguing that
violence and terror have risen steadily across the
entire African continent over the last decade.
He maintained that the “Economist magazine” in a
recent publication wrote about “The Next
Afghanistan,” warning the global community of the
horrifying security in its neighbourhood, citing
specifically the states of Mali, Burkina Faso and
Niger.
Noting that the presidency understood the
frustrations of the newspaper and Nigeria’s northern
communities about the ongoing challenges of
security, Shehu noted that the Buhari administration
is no less worried by the situation.
The Buhari government argued that it is only fair to
say that Nigeria’s persistent and continued efforts
to suppress the instability have seen results, with
terror group Boko Haram, among others “reduced to
a shell of its former self”
“Yet now we Nigerians face a new threat: the worst
global health crisis in living memory. Even Nigeria
that proudly holds the mantle of Africa’s largest
economy is not immune from the debilitating
economic impact of COVID-19.
“ The economic instability that the pandemic has
wreaked has proven an effective recruitment tool for
bandits and terrorists across the continent.
“Indeed, the Daily Trust has correctly identified the
source of the violence as ‘an amalgam of many
complex issues’ such as poverty and
unemployment. It is equally right to note that, in
tackling the violence, ‘force alone will not be
enough.
“It is quite wrong, however, to suggest the problem
of insecurity is intractable, and more wrong still to
claim apathy on the part of the government,” the
presidency argued.
Continuing on what the federal government was
doing to ameliorate the situation, Shehu stated that
the Nigerian military efforts have not let up, but
admitted that it is true that in the face of today’s
growing number of threats from Boko Haram,
bandits, kidnappers and IPOB to run of the mill
bandits, the forces were stretched increasingly thin.
“Second, alongside military force, this government
is seeking to address the violence at its economic
source. Massive infrastructure projects like the
coastal rail and new train from the southern coast
through the north-east to our neighbour Niger aim to
expand employment and opportunity across the
country, bringing hope to our more remote and
poorer regions where bandits and terrorists thrive,”
he said.
The spokesman maintained that the Daily Trust’s
suggestion that the president exchanges violence
for the support he got electorally was “beneath a
publication that claims any kind of political
neutrality or integrity.”
According to the presidency, the focus as Nigerians
must be on coming together and ending the
violence pervading the country.
“As President Buhari wrote recently of the terrorists
in UK paper ‘The Financial Times’: “We will defeat
them, one highway, one rail link – and one job – at
a time,” the statement added.

Source :

ThisDay Newspaper