Northern Youths Council Hail Court Declaration of Bandits As Terrorists

By Uche Mbah

The Northern Youths Council of Nigeria has hailed the declaration of Bandits as terrorists by an Abuja High Court.

The Federal Government had filed an Ex-parte Motion through the Federal Ministry of Justice in an Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Taiwo Taiwo requesting that the court declare bandits terrorists.

The court, in its rulings, had stamped bandits as terrorists in a radical departure from the tacitly accepted norm of not describing bandits and other violent groups as terrorists and their organisations as terrorist organisations.

Many prominent voices, both political and civil groups, have been clamoring for the designation, with critics of the Government citing the designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, as a terrorist organisation when the members are nowhere near as murderous as the Bandits.

Only recently, Katsina State House of Assembly called on the Federal and State Governments to declare bandits as terrorists.

In a statement in Kaduna immediately after becoming aware of the court ruling, signed  by Comrade Isah Abubakar, President and

Mock Samuel Kure, Director General, Media and Publicity, the group said the security agents should take steps to arrest and prosecute them.

“We will welcome full military operation in Northwestern and North Central parts of the country as it is happening in Northeast against Boko Haram and ISWAP elements which have drastically reduced their activities,” the statement said.

“The Council hereby urges our Armed Forces and other sister security agencies, to arrest and prosecute anybody seen giving the terrorists support be it materially, morally or otherwise no matter how highly or lowly placed.

”The Northern Youths will stand with ( Security Agencies) in (the) quest to stamp out terrorism in the North and Nigeria at large,” they said.

Bandits have taken over parts of Niger state where they hoisted their flag and are forcibly converting natives to Islam. They impose levies and taxes without let or hindrance. Ironically, they have been operating relentlessly in President Buhari’s home state, Katsina, where a Federal Lawmaker had his brother abducted recently, but he was allegedly released when the father of the leader of the bandits was allegedly held hostage by security agencies until they released the lawmaker’s brother in exchange.

This has tended to paint a picture of complicity with the security agencies which they have always denied.