Malami: Why FG Is Yet To Designate Bandits As Terrorists

Malami: Why FG Is Yet To Designate Bandits As Terrorists
Abubakar Malami

Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), has expressed that the federal government is yet to gazzete the order proscribing bandits as terrorists.

He stated this while speaking during a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme on Tuesday.

Malami said the federal government is trying to ensure that it operates within the confines of international best practices.

“Government has a responsibility to act but within the context of acting, you’re equally expected to operate within the confines of international best practices associated with engagement, and one of such best practices is that you can only use maximum force on groups, individuals that are declared terrorists and that is where the application of the Terrorism Act comes in place,” he said.

Also Read: Buhari Refuses To Declare Bandits Terrorists Weeks After Court Order

“Whatever military hardware you acquire, there are limits within the context of the international convention as to how it can be used, when it can be used, and against who it can be used. And that is how the idea of looking at the activities of the bandits, cattle rustlers, kidnappers come into being.

“Our assessment took into consideration that they are causing a major threat to the territorial peaceful co-existence and causing a major threat to lives with weapons, the idea then came about that indeed they (bandits) have satisfied the criteria of being declared terrorists within the context of the law so that whatever military hardware at the disposal of the federal government can best be used against them within the context of the international convention and within the context of the law.”

Malami, however, noted that the process of gazetting the court order will be completed within a few days.