FG Explains Why It Proscribed IPOB And Ignored Bandits

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has Nigerians shouldn’t compare bandits to agitators of Biafra republic.

Mohammed who made this known in an interview on AIT’s Kaakaki programme, while explaining why the government is yet to proscribe bandits.

He made it known that Bandits are groups that are not known legally, hence, it difficult to proscribe some set of people with no name.

He explained that it doesn’t matter if they are proscribe or not, but all that matters is how the government treats them.

“You proscribe known groups with names. You can’t just proscribe an unknown group legally

“Secondly, it’s not whether they are proscribed or not, it is the way they are treated. Does the government actually treat them with kid gloves? The answer is no.”

When a group is championing a course for the disintegration of Nigeria… A group like IPOB (that) does not even recognise Nigeria as a state, sets up its own army and think it is a sovereign state is different from bandits and criminals. Please, don’t compare apples and oranges.”

When asked if the bandits aren’t also threatening the sovereignty of Nigeria by taking up arms against the citizens, the Minister said the cases are completely different.

He said, “Security challenges are one thing. Challenging the sovereignty of Nigeria is a completely different thing. Don’t let us dwell on semantics.”

Speaking further, he said, “Don’t armed robbers threaten the security of lives and property? They do. Is there anywhere in the world that armed robbers have been proscribed?”