The Federal Government of Nigeria is ready to publish the court order classifying bandits as terrorists.
The November 26, 2021 judgment by Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has also become a critical factor in the deployment of Super Tucano aircraft in the fight against terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits.
In addition, the Attorney-General; and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said President Muhammadu Buhari would be guided by public interest while considering the request to release the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.
Malami said this on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ show monitored by our reporter.
On the process of gazetting the order declaring bandits as terrorists, Malami said: “The gazetting of a court order or judgment is a process, but what matters fundamentally within the context of the international convention is the judicial declaration and that has been obtained; the court has declared bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers as terrorists.
“So, with or without the gazette, what gives effect to such a declaration is a judicial pronouncement but the gazette is a mere formality and it has been on and I believe within a matter of days, it will be concluded.”
The minister said the government acted promptly in declaring IPOB and Boko Haram as terror groups because of the “threats to lives and properties they have caused in the nation.”
