Presidency: All Terrorists in North East Will Be Eliminated Within a Year

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

The activities of terrorists threatening the peace of Nigeria, especially in the North-east zone will be addressed by the authorities, in less than a year, Media Adviser to the President, Femi Adesina, has said.

While commenting on President Muhammadu Buhari’s assurance that Nigeria is close to ending the scourge of insurgency, Adesina said the administration could achieve that in the remaining 17 months of its stay in office, assuring that all those behind the insurgency would be eliminated before the end of the administration’s rule.

He said: “Nothing is impossible. I always refer to the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. That rebellion lasted for 28 years, but one day, the mastermind of that rebellion was taken out and that was the automatic ending of it.

“Those who are behind this insurgency will be taken out. They are being taken out one after the other and it will get to a point that the last of them will be taken out and then we’ll get to the end of it, it can be done within 17 months, that remains for this institution,” he said.

Commenting on the ability of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) operating in Borno state to fire rockets targeting areas in Maiduguri, the state capital, Adesina said the act was scaremongering to force President Buhari to cancel his official visit to the state.

According to him: “It was some sort of scaremongering. They wanted to frighten the president away, but they had forgotten that this President is a retired general, they had forgotten he is a man who can stand his own. They thought they will succeed in getting the president to cancel that visit, that was why they, possibly did what they did. “

“But we see that the President still went ahead with the visit and from all indications, it was a very successful visit. It is sad that some people lost their lives in that attack, but it shows you the cowardly nature of those behind these attacks,” he
said.

Reminded that there have been statements in the past saying that the insurgents have been technically defeated and that the war was coming to an end, he said:“Well, let me start from the first aspect of what you said that we’ve had expressions, like, technically defeated in the past. Yes, everything that has been said is true.

“If you consider the nature of this insurgency from 2009, when it started till now, it has mutated in very many ways. And the current shape and state of it cannot be compared to what it was in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. No, a lot has been done to weaken them. The technical word is degrade, a lot has been done to degrade those aggressors. And we can compare what happens today to what used to happen. It is just a matter of ending this thing.

“That was why the President said in Maiduguri that we are in the final stages of the war against insurgency and I believe we are in the final stages. And that was what he also told the security chiefs at the Security Council meeting, end this thing. It is starting to end and I believe that with all Nigerians working together, cooperating and and collaborating with the security forces, we will end it very soon,” he said.

Asked how he thinks the newly put together National Development Plan 2021-2025 will achieve President Buhari’s promise of improving the living room of Nigerians, the Presidential spokesman said the government was trying hard to keep the country afloat amidst the multiple challenges facing the country and the people.

“Well, we live in a challenged society,hallenged politically, challenged security-wise, challenged economically. So that gives you an understanding of what the government is confronting. Government is confronting severe challenges, but despite those challenges, it is keeping its head above water.

“It is doing its best for Nigerians, it may not be what they want. It may not be as good as it has ever been in the days of boom for the country, but then government is keeping its head above the waters. Nigerians are also looking into the purpose of government is to make life better for the people at any given time and that is what this government is out to achieve to make life better”, he said.

On resolving the situation recently created by the President’s resolve to veto the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021, he said: “Well, let’s not forget that this National Assembly particularly is made more than 70, about 80 per cent of APC members and you don’t have a party kicking against yourself. It’s not like the last national assembly in which you have the opposition coming from the party. No. This is a more responsive and responsible National Assembly and they will do what is good for our democracy, they will do what is good for the party, they will do what is good for the country.

“Overriding the veto is part of democracy, but is it the expedient thing to do at a particular time? That is the question. That is what the APC will use its majority in the National Assembly to determine. Is it expedient to override the President? If it is not? What then are the other options? That is what needs to be looked into”, he said.

According to Adesina, the Presidency has said fully designating armed bandits as terrorists, as recently decided by the courts, still require some procedural actions by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.

Adesina, who said it is only the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice who could give a time line to when the processes would be completed, also assured Nigerians that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has enough time to completely wipe insurgents out from the country.

The presidential spokesman revealed the need for completing the process of designating bandits as terrorists when asked if it is now safe for the military to engage bandits with the rules providing for fighting terrorists, especially as the courts had made the pronouncement.

He said: “Well, last I heard that there were still some process, which will be done by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and I guess that once those processes are concluded, they can safely then be declared as terrorists and treated so.

“I guess there are still some procedural actions to take before they can then be treated as terrorists”, he explained.

Asked how much longer these procedures would take before the military could go in to treat bandits as terrorists, Adesina said:”Well office of the Attorney-General of the Federation can answer that question”.