The Federal Government has dismissed opposition by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to the proposed death penalty for kidnappers and bandits, saying the punishment is consistent with Nigerian laws.
Minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, spoke on the issue on Monday at the Federal Government’s end-of-year press conference in Abuja.
Idris said the government would act strictly within the law and would not pursue any policy that contradicts Nigeria’s legal framework.
His words: “The Nigerian government will not do anything that is not consistent with the laws of the nation.
“If there is a need to adapt or to modify these laws, we have the national assembly to consult and to take them so that we can have a response, but for now it is important to say that Nigeria as a sovereign country has its laws and is being governed by these laws, and all the operators, including the security agencies, are acting within the ambit, within the parameters of those laws.”
The minister said the national counterterrorism doctrine unveiled this year is anchored on four pillars — unified command, intelligence, community stability and counterinsurgency.
He said under the doctrine, any armed group involved in kidnapping, attacks on farmers or terrorising communities would be treated as a terrorist organisation.
“Let me be clear about what this means: that henceforth, any armed group that kidnaps our children, attacks our farmers, or terrorises our communities is officially classified and will be dealt with as a terrorist organisation. The era of ambiguous nomenclature is over,” Idris said.
Addressing concerns about human rights violations, Idris said he could not reconcile human rights arguments with acts of terrorism and mass violence.
“I don’t know how human rights will stop you first when somebody comes into a room and randomly starts shooting at people,” he said.
He added that Nigeria must defend itself while observing globally accepted rules of engagement.
“Nigeria has to defend itself as a country, observing the highest standards of procedure. All our armed forces are trained, they collaborate with international partners and they are following strict protocols of engagement with terrorists or whoever they are engaging with,” the minister said.
He said where there are specific complaints about the conduct of security agencies, such issues should be raised and addressed through appropriate channels.
The minister also spoke on Nigeria’s relations with the United States, saying the recent diplomatic disagreement had been resolved through what he described as firm and respectful engagement.
He added that the N5.41 trillion allocation to defence and security — the largest in Nigeria’s history — is aimed at protecting lives and property through modern equipment for the armed forces, a new national intelligence architecture and a secure digital border surveillance system.
