Fulani Herdsmen Are Criminals, Not Terrorists Like IPOB – FG Insists

The Federal Government has insisted that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) is a terrorist organization.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who gave the government position Wednesday night in London when he featured on BBC Television programme, “Focus on Africa”, said that the activities of Fulani herdsmen cannot be classified as terrorism.

Mohammed, who said that Fulani herdsmen are not terrorists like the Biafra group, noted that “acts of criminality should not be confused with terrorism acts”.

“When an organisation decides to not just attack the Army but set up its own parallel government;

“When an organisation openly solicits for arms all over the world; when an organisation starts issuing out its own passports and currency and does not recognise the democratically elected government, then it becomes a different thing”.

Insisting that the Federal Government was right in declaring IPOB a terrorist organisation, Mohammed described as “unfortunate” and “unacceptable,” the position of the U.S. Government on the declaration.

He said, “It is very unfortunate, if countries decide to pick and choose which organisations are terrorists and which are not, bearing in mind that terrorism has no boundary.

“I think what we should do is that every country should work together to ensure that terrorism does not thrive.

“The acts and utterances of IPOB were acts and utterances of terrorists.

“For instance, Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader was caught on tape, saying that they want Biafra and not peacefully, but by force.

“He declared that if they do not get Biafra, Somalia will be a Paradise with the kind of mayhem they will unleash on Nigeria.

“The group openly embraced arms and ammunition and the leader set up Biafra National Guard, Biafra Secret Service and openly attacked army formations”.