Former Chief Executive of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf has described the recent Federal High Court declaration of bandits as terrorists as a political move that will achieve nothing.
Yusuf, who is an associate of controversial cleric, Sheik Ahmad Gumi, stated this in an interview published by Saturday Sun.
The Herald reported in November that there was jubilation among many groups in the North as Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court declared bandits’ activities as acts of terrorism and illegality.
The court outlawed their activities in any part of Nigeria, “either in groups or as individuals by whatever names they are called.”
Reacting, Prof Yusuf, who is a professor of haematology-oncology and bone marrow transplantation, said that the declaration in itself would not bring any desired change.
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He said that the move was to pacify those accusing the Federal Government of bias for outlawing the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) separatist group.
Prof Yusuf also backed his associate, Sheik Gumi, who washed his hands off negotiating with bandits after the declaration.
He said, “Now, they have declared the bandits terrorists just for political reasons. So, what is going to change? All these times, you have called Boko Haram terrorists, and they are still fighting you in the last 13 years. Nothing has changed. It is all politics.
“The honest truth is that whatever you are going to do and you are not going to do it sincerely, it is not going to work. So, you have declared them terrorists and if I go and meet with them, you will say, I was in bed with terrorists.
“So, Gumi said, go and finish with the terrorists, then come back and when you are ready for talk, then we will talk. The implication is that it is just political. Are these people terrorists, yes; are they criminals, yes; are they killing our people, yes.
“All this Abuja pronouncement, you run to court to get a piece of paper to declare them terrorists, instead of going back home and engage stakeholders locally, traditional rulers, clerics, community leaders, business people and everybody involved to see how you can bring this thing to a halt locally, you are there busy in Abuja running from one court to the other to declare them terrorists.
“Now, you have declared them terrorists, they are still there, go and catch them. I’m very glad that they declared them terrorists because I don’t want anybody using this as an excuse that we couldn’t defeat them because we didn’t declare them terrorists.
“Now, you have declared them terrorists, go inside the bush and catch them. You are saying, IPOB terrorists, Boko Haram terrorist, this one terrorist and that one terrorist; go and catch them, kill them or prosecute them instead of staying in Abuja and talking nonsense.
“This is the problem, it is all political. Because they say IPOB is terrorist, and why have you not declared this one terrorist? Ok, we have declared them terrorists, let them enjoy life. Boko Haram in the beginning, IPOB in the middle and bandits in the behind, Oya, go and fight all your terrorists if you can. You stay in Abuja and talk nonsense.
“You have declared them terrorists, ok, let’s stay back until you finish your military operation; you would soon come back to dialoguing. War, war, war, you would always come back to the table.”
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