President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says kidnappers are terrorists and would be treated as such.
The president made the remark on Tuesday while having the Ramadan dinner with members of the Federal judiciary led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
His comment was contained in a statement by the President’s spokesman Ajuri Ngelale.
The dinner was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Tinubu’s remark comes on the heels of Sheik Gumi’s admonition on the federal government to grant amnesty to kidnappers the same way it did to the Niger Delta militants.
The Kaduna-based controversial Islamic cleric had recently urged the government to negotiate with bandits who have been on prowl lately, kidnapping school children in the northern part of the country.
Over 130 students kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna state earlier this month by the bandits were last week freed by security agencies working with the state government.
The president has however condemned the terrorists, describing their act as reprehensible and a crime against the country, insisting that the government has what it takes to defeat the criminals.
According to Tinubu who recently ordered a total clampdown on the terrorists, they are incapable of confronting the nation’s armed forces, adding that they must be defeated at all cost.
Tinubu said: “‘We must treat kidnappers as terrorists. They are cowardly. They have been degraded. They look for soft targets. They go to schools and kidnap children and cause disaffection.
“We must treat them equally as terrorists in order to get rid of them, and I promise you we will get rid of them.”
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