The Federal Government said, yesterday, there was no preferential treatment between groups advocating separation from the country and bandits, especially in the North West Zone, noting that the Super Tucano jets changing tide of terror fight.
Making the clarification in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja yesterday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, described as misleading and erroneous the notion that members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, were getting harder clampdown from security forces.
He maintained that the Federal Government would continue to apply all necessary measures, including use of the military, to prevent criminal groups from undermining the territorial integrity and peace of the country.
“We noticed that of recent, there is this misinformation as regards the way the Federal Government, especially the military, is handling the issue of banditry and terrorism.
“There is this misconception that the Federal Government is softer on the terrorists in the North East and the bandits from the North West and the way they handle separatists and other criminals from the South East and South West.
“I want to say without any hesitation that this is a fallacy. It is a misrepresentation, misinformation and fake news all rolled into one.
“The truth of the matter is that the Federal Government does not make a distinction between terrorists and bandits.
“As far as the Federal Government is concerned, they are all criminals and are treated the same way.
“It is very important to set the record straight. Why do I say this? Because, it is a continuation of the destructive rhetoric of some commentators,’’ he said.
The minister further said that the issue of security of the country should not be politicised because of its sensitive nature.
He said: “The issue of security must not be politicised. Security is security. Bandits kill soldiers; they kill policemen and innocent people. So, why will the military be softer on one set of criminals than the other?
The minister reiterated the position of the Federal Government to build more on the ongoing peace process across the country as well as tackle bandits, kidnappers and other criminal groups.
Mohammed, who also disclosed that the federal government had taken delivery of 10 of the 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets expected from the U.S, said their deployment had changed the tide in the fight against terror in Nigeria.
He said: “As at today, we have 10 of the jets on ground and the remaining two, I think should be delivered in the next two weeks or so.‘‘
“The introduction of these platforms have made a whole lot of difference and it has changed the dynamics of the war.”
He noted that the deployment of the platforms contributed immensely to the successes being recorded in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, who were surrendering in droves in the North-East.
In addition to the non-kinetic measures taken against bandits in the North-West and other troubled states, the minister said the platforms had also helped in neutralising criminals.
“When these people surrender, it is either they are over-powered, they are starved of their operations or it has become impossible for them to carry out their dastardly acts.
“They do not just surrender voluntarily. It is just that our media are not doing what they ought to be doing.
“What is expected of them is to probe that since the introduction of the Super Tucano, how many bandits have been killed, how many terrorists have surrendered?’’
Responding to a question on when Nigeria would buy more fighter jets, Mohammed said the jets were high-grade weapons that could not be bought off the shelves.
“People have forgotten that under former President Barrack Obama, the U.S. denied Nigeria these Super Tucanos. A lot of diplomacy went on before we got these ones,” he said.
The minister said however, that government was expecting more platforms that he was “not at liberty to disclose’’.
On July 22, the Nigerian Air Force took delivery of the first batch of six of the A-29 Super Tucano airplanes from the U.S.
