FG set to prosecute 400 suspects for funding terrorism
The Federal Government yesterday said it would prosecute 400 suspects arrested for allegedly funding terrorism in the country.
The government also said it was not overwhelmed to crush terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal gangs.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, at a press conference in Lagos, described attacks on security operatives as a declaration of war against the country.
“The Honourable AttorneyGeneral of the Federation and Minister of Justice has announced that the Federal Government is set to prosecute 400 suspects arrested for allegedly funding terrorism. This is unprecedented and it’s a testament to the government’s determination to decisively tackle terrorism and other violent crimes,” he said.
Mohammed appealed to Nigerians to support security agencies, who face the added task of having to watch their backs while working to protect others.
He said: “Now, there’s a growing dangerous trend which I’ll like to comment on. It is the practice of launching deadly attacks against the nation’s security personnel. Soldiers as well as police, customs, and other security agents have been killed and maimed in some parts of the country in this growing trend of targeting security forces.
“I want to say, unequivocally, that any attack on our security men and women is an attack on the state and a declaration of war against the nation. It follows, therefore, that this will be countered with overwhelming force.”
Daily Trust had reported how six Nigerians were jailed in the United Arab Emirates for allegedly channelling money to terrorists in Nigeria.
Also, the paper had reported how Nigerian security operatives busted and arrested hundreds of bureau de change operators in Kano, Lagos and other places on suspicion of terrorism financing.