The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has explained why bandits cannot be proscribed in Nigeria, despite the havoc they have continue
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has explained why bandits cannot be proscribed in Nigeria, despite the havoc they have continued to wreck across Nigeria.
According to the Minister who was interviewed today on AIT’s morning show, Kaakaki, bandits cannot be proscribed because they do not go by any name.
He further said the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) should not be compared with bandits, insinuating that the former is a greater threat to the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
Lai Mohammed said proscribing bandits should not really matter rather, how they are treated.
Lai Mohammed said:
“You proscribe known groups with names. You can’t just proscribe an unknown group legally. Secondly, it’s not whether they are proscribed or not, it is the way they are treated. Does the government actually treat them with kid gloves? The answer is no.”
Speaking further, the Minister said that there is a difference between bandits and the Indigenous People of Biafra.
His words:
“When a group is championing a course for the disintegration of Nigeria… A group like IPOB (that) does not even recognise Nigeria as a state, sets up its own army and think it is a sovereign state is different from bandits and criminals. Please, don’t compare apples and oranges.”
When asked if the bandits are not also threatening the sovereignty of Nigeria by taking up arms against the citizens, the Minister said the cases are completely different.
He said, “Security challenges are one thing. Challenging the sovereignty of Nigeria is a completely different thing. Don’t let us dwell on semantics. Don’t armed robbers threaten the security of lives and property? They do. Is there anywhere in the world that armed robbers have been proscribed?”
