Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation (AGF) and
minister of justice, says insecurity in Nigeria is not driven by religious
differences, insisting that the government is addressing the challenges through
due process and ongoing prosecutions.
Fagbemi spoke in Abuja on Tuesday after holding a meeting
with Richard Mills, a United States congressman and the country’s ambassador to
Nigeria.
The AGF said the meeting offered Nigeria an opportunity to
explain the realities surrounding terrorism and insecurity, noting that while
challenges persist, they are often misrepresented.
“This meeting is about the terrorism going on in the country
and to afford us the opportunity to explain our own side of the story,” he
said.
“I’m happy that they are also here to see things for
themselves. And what is important is to also apprise them that even though we
have challenges in Nigeria, it is not religious.
“We have security challenges, and the government is doing
its utmost to ensure that these challenges are addressed.”
Fagbemi said the ministry has continued to prosecute cases
linked to extremism and has made “significant progress” since terrorism trials
began.
“For instance, today, as we speak, the terrorism trial is
still going on. I have been there today, and I have taken one or two of the
cases,” he said.
“And I want to seize this opportunity to let you know that
as of today, that is from 2017 to 2025, we have secured 860 convictions and 891
acquittals, that is, discharges.”
He said the acquittals demonstrate that Nigeria is not
arbitrarily detaining suspects.
“What this speaks to, particularly the issue of discharges
of the defendants, is that we don’t just arrest people and then, you know,
clamp them into prison. We follow due process. They are profiled,” he said.
“Those who have nothing to do with it are left off the hook.
Those who we believe we have cases against, we take them to court. It is for
the court to decide.
“So, whenever the court takes a decision, we comply or abide
by the decision, and that is why we have good convictions and acquittals.”
Fagbemi said the US delegation is meeting multiple security
and governance institutions during its visit.
“They have visited the office of the national security
adviser. They have visited the office of the chief of defence staff and a few
other agencies. They have also met with some civil society organisations and
religious forces,” he added.
“But I want to tell you that things are not as heinous as
people are portraying. I can assure you of that. We have problems in Nigeria.
It is not a problem of religion.”
BACKGROUND
On November 1, US President Donald Trump redesignated
Nigeria as a “country of particular concern (CPC)” over the alleged killing of
Christians in the country.
Trump also warned the Nigerian government to curb the
alleged attacks, or he would make good his threat to stop all US aid and
assistance to the country.
He threatened to unleash the department of war on Nigeria to
fight the terrorists “that attack our cherished Christians”.
Prior to Trump’s comments, some US lawmakers had asked Marco
Rubio, secretary of state, to take decisive diplomatic action against the
Nigerian government over the “systematic persecution and slaughter of
Christians”.
In November, President Bola Tinubu approved the constitution
of the Nigerian side of the US-Nigeria joint working group as part of steps to
deepen collaboration in tackling security challenges in the country.
The composition of the group was part of the agreement
reached during the recent trip to Washington, DC, by a high-level Nigerian
delegation led by Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA).
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com