Tunde Oyesina 
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) yesterday said that his office is in the process of gazetting a court judgement that ordered the government to declare bandits as terrorists. He added that the process would be concluded in a matter of days. Malami, who stated this while playing guest on ‘NTA’s Good Morning Nigeria Show’ monitored by New Telegraph, noted that Federal Government had delayed to officially declare bandits as terrorists because the government was following international best practices.
This was just as the AGF stated that the interest of Nigeria and its citizen will determine the government’s position on the request seeking the release of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu by President Muhammadu Buhari On the menace of banditry, New Telegraph notes that some states in the North- West region including Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna are being ravaged by activities of bandits. This has led to the death of hundreds of innocent persons, while several others were kidnapped, including schoolchildren.
New Telegraph further recalled that Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had in November 26, 2021 granted an ex parte application by the Federal Government for Yan Bindiga (Hausa word for gunmen) and Yan Ta’adda (Hausa word for terrorists) to be declared as terrorist. Meanwhile answering question on the request for Kanu’s release, Malami said: “By way of general statements to the two issues presented: the issue relating to electoral bill and the issue relating to Kanu and by extension, IPOB, what I can tell you for certain is that the decision of the President is based fundamentally and at all times on public interest consideration. “In the art of governance, what I have come to learn about the mind and heart of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, is to consider the 200 million as against the limited people. “By extension, the issue of Kanu, what would as well govern the decision of the President in terms of whatever request is presented is the public interest as against limited sectional interest of it.”
