Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has accused the president Muhammdu Buhari-led federal government of treating bandits terorrising the country with kid gloves.
The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in a statement on Sunday, opined that bandits are not different from Boko Haram terorrists.
He said the federal government is “deliberately refusing” to declare bandits as terrorists.
According to a statement issued by falana, he said: “For reasons best known to the Federal Government the criminal elements who are currently involved in the brutal killing of innocent people and abduction of thousands of people including primary school pupils in the North West Zone are called bandits and not terrorists,”
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“It is undoubtedly clear that the criminal elements who abduct unarmed citizens, kill them or release them after collecting ransom to the tune of several millions of Naira are terrorists.
“The criminal elements who attack and down military planes are terrorists. The criminal elements who attack police stations and seize weapons to attack innocent people are terrorists.
“The criminal elements who attack correctional centres and release inmates therein are terrorists. The criminal elements who destroy government properties or public facilities are terrorists. But the Federal Government has deliberately refused to declare the bandits terrorists and prosecute them.
“In August 2019, the State Security Service arrested and detain Mr. Omoyele Sowore for planning a peaceful rally against the Buhari administration. While he was in detention the SSS secretly applied for an ex parte order to have Sowore detained for 90 days for the purpose of investigating his alleged terrorist activities. Even though there was no evidence to support the application the Federal High Court ordered that Sowore be detained for 45 days. At the end of the investigation the SSS confirmed that there was no scintilla of evidence linking Sowore to terrorism.
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“Recently, the Kaduna State High Court dismissed the charge of culpable homicide against Sheikh Ibrahim Elzakzaky and his wife. Completely dissatisfied with the verdict the Kaduna State Government has charged them with terrorism.
“And sequel to the proscription of the MIN the police and the army engage in routine extrajudicial execution of scores of Shiites for embarking on peaceful protests in Abuja and other states in the North. However, while the Federal Government is waging a full scale war against the Shiites, IPOB members and journalists it has continued to treat the so called bandits with kid glove.”
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