Irabor: With bandits now declared terrorists, we’ll give them bloody nose

Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff, says the official declaration of bandits as terrorists will enable the armed forces to take necessary action against them.

The defence chief said the gazette proscribing bandits as terrorists was long desired by the armed forces.

Irabor spoke on Monday when he featured on ‘Good Morning Nigeria’, a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme.

The federal government had on January 5 released a gazette proscribing bandits as terrorists — over one month after a federal high court in Abuja had declared the activities of all bandit groups in the country as acts of terrorism.

The defence chief said the military will amend its tactics, given the latest development, adding that the criminals would be given “the bloody nose they so desire”.

“The issue of gazetting the bandits as terrorists is a news that is quite gladdening. That has always been what we had desired,” he said.

“What it means is that our tactics, techniques and procedures that we use in handling them certainly would have to change and that is why, I believe going forward, I am sure you will be reading what the outcome of those engagements are.

“Gazetting them as terrorists give it a global disposition that will enable other key global actors to now take certain action against them. For me, it will only get better and we will give them the bloody nose that they so desire.”