Kidnappers Must Be Treated as Terrorists: Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has warned that individuals who commit horrific crimes such as kidnapping must be treated as terrorists.

The President made the announcement on Tuesday during a Ramadan meal with members of the Federal Judiciary, chaired by Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

The president reaffirmed the government’s determination to eradicate banditry, saying those who kidnap children are cowards incapable of facing the might of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“We must treat kidnappers like terrorists,” the President declared, according to a statement from his spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale.

“They are cowardly.” They’ve been degraded. They look for soft prey. They go to schools, kidnap children, and incite discontent. We must treat them as terrorists in order to get rid of them, and I assure you that we will,” the President stated at a luncheon attended by serving and retired judicial officers, including Justice Mahmud Mohammed and Justice Walter Onnoghen, two former Chief Justices of Nigeria.

Nigeria is confronting growing security threats, particularly terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and oil theft. The North-West and North-East geographic zones have seen the most insurgent and bandit attacks in the last decade, with terror groups roaming the jungles, killing and kidnapping thousands of people, visitors, and soft targets, including women and children.

The Tinubu administration has refused to negotiate with bandits, despite the fact that the marauders have continued to engage in kidnapping-for-ransom, abducting hundreds of schoolchildren and citizens, the most recent being 137 schoolchildren from Kuriga in Kaduna State.

On January 29, 2024, some students and staff from Apostolic Faith School in Ekiti State were abducted from their school bus. They were on their way to Emure, Ekiti, when they were stopped by assailants in Eporo. They were later released about a week later, but the bus driver was discovered dead.

The abduction of the Kuriga students was not the first in a string of mass kidnappings of youngsters in the country. Terrorists have kidnapped thousands of pupils in recent years in Kaduna, Katsina, and Niger states, including Chibok, Dapchi, Kankara, Kagara, and many others, eliciting global outrage. While some of the students were finally released, others were held indefinitely in the enclaves of their abductors and sexual abusers.

During the review of judicial officer wages, the President promised that his administration will continue to undertake necessary reforms to improve the welfare and working circumstances of judges.

“I acknowledge that the judiciary bears one of the most unrewarded obligations. They have yet to modernise equipment and records, and their progress towards improvement is modest.

“When you look at a judicial officer’s professional path, they are unable to practise the profession for which they were prepared after retirement.

“While the creators of the law may have had their intentions, I see this differently and see it from a fair remuneration standpoint that should benefit everyone,” the President added.

President Tinubu thanked the judges for their dedicated service to the nation, recognising their role in maintaining the judicial branch’s credibility.

“We shall continue to support one another and bring Nigeria to a bright dawn,” the president said.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria praised the President for the honour of welcoming judicial officials to a Ramadan meal, his dedication to judicial reforms, and his efforts to improve the welfare of judicial officers across the country.

“May God continue to bless you and your government. Let your ship arrive and berth gracefully. We will continue to pray for your administration because there are many positive things in the works for Nigerians,” he said.

Justice Ariwoola congratulated the administration for reaching a key milestone by nominating a full complement of 21 justices to the Supreme Court, which he termed as unprecedented.

Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, thanked the President for submitting the executive bill “Judicial Office Holders, Salaries and Allowances, etc., Bill 2024” to the National Assembly.

Highlighting the stagnating situation of judges’ salaries and emoluments since 2007, Fagbemi praised the President for his courage, dedication, and compassion in taking decisive action.

“It takes a man with a big heart, tenacity, and consideration to do what the President did. The judges have received a pay raise of more than 300.3 percent. Regardless of whether the law remains in the National Assembly, the President has done his bit.

“In my brief tenure as Attorney-General, I’ve noticed that anything related to the judiciary piques your attention, and I appreciate you for that,” the Minister of Justice stated.