The Federal Government has finally declared bandits as terrorists. The declaration titled, ‘Terrorism (Prevention) Proscription Order Notice, 2021 is contained in Volume 108 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Official Gazette.
The statement by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation
and Minister of Justice said the activities of Yan Bindiga group, Yan
Ta’adda group and other similar groups in Nigeria are declared to be
terrorism and illegal in any part of Nigeria, especially in the Northwest
and North-Central regions and are proscribed, pursuant to sections 1 and
2 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2011.
This comes more than a month after a Federal High Court in Abuja
declared bandits as terrorists following an ex parte motion the Federal
Government filed before it through the Ministry of Justice.
The Federal Government, in its ex parte motion, told the Federal High
Court that intelligence reports showed that bandit groups masterminded
several killings, abductions, rapes, kidnappings and related acts of
criminality in the Northeast, North-Central, and other parts of the
country.
