The Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.) has asserted that the need to follow due process was responsible for the delay in declaring bandits as terrorists.
Magashi, who made this assertion on Friday, in Maiduguri, while fielding questions from newsmen, added that there was a procedure that needed to be completely followed before such a declaration.
He said, ‘We are not declaring them terrorists because there is a procedure for doing that. When the procedure is followed, they will be classified as terrorists. We are waiting for the procedure to be completed.’
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The minister, who was in Maiduguri with the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, and Service Chiefs on an assessment visit of the fight against insurgency in the North-East, expressed satisfaction with the successes recorded so far.
He said his team met with the Theatre Commander and other component commanders to deliberate on the next phase of operations, adding that the meeting also identified problems that required urgent attention to enhance the operations.
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Bauchi North senatorial district, Adamu Bulkachuwa has admitted that bandits are no different from terrorists, insisting that both groups operate the same way.
The controversial Senator posited that ‘We gave them the name bandit probably to just soft pedal because terrorism in the international arena is regarded as the most heinous crime that any group of people can engage in’.
‘They are terrorists in reality. What else are they? Anybody that does not allow people rest, what is he?‘ he quried.
The Senator is one of the latest high-profile Nigerians to have joined calls for bandits and their sponsors to be tagged as terrorists.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK