Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu has declared that individuals or group of people involved in despicable crimes such as kidnapping must be treated as terrorists.
Tinubu made the declaration on Tuesday at a Ramadan dinner with members of Federal judiciary led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.
The dinner was attended by serving and retired judicial officers, including two former CJNs, Justice Mahmud Mohammed and Justice Walter Onnoghen.
The President said those who resort to kidnapping children are cowards, incapable of confronting the might of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“We must treat kidnappers as terrorists. They are cowardly. They have been degraded. They look for soft targets.
“They go to schools and kidnap children and cause disaffection. We must treat them equally as terrorists in order to get rid of them, and I promise you we will get rid of them,” the President said.
Tinubu pledged that his administration would continue to implement necessary reforms to improve the welfare and working conditions of judicial officers. “An executive bill to increase the salaries of judicial officials is already being considered by the National Assembly.
“I recognize that the judiciary has one of the most unrewarded responsibilities. They are yet to modernize equipment and record keeping, and their progress towards improvement is slow.
“When you look at the career path of a judicial officer, he cannot practice the vocation for which he was trained after retirement.
“While the framers of the law may have their reasons, I perceive this differently and see this from a fair compensation angle that should benefit all,” the President stated.
He expressed gratitude to the judiciary for their dedicated service to the nation, acknowledging their role in upholding the respectability of the judicial arm of government.
According to the statement released by his aide, the President said, “We will continue to support one another and bring Nigeria to that glorious dawn”.
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola commended the President for the honour of hosting judicial officers to a Ramadan dinner, his commitment to judicial reforms, and for improving the welfare of judicial officers in the country.
“May the Lord continue to bless you and your administration. Let your ship land and berth beautifully. We shall continue to pray for your administration because there are many good things in the pipeline for Nigerians,” he prayed.
Justice Ariwoola commended the administration for achieving a significant milestone by appointing a full complement of 21 justices to the Supreme Court, a feat he described as unprecedented.
Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, expressed gratitude to the President for forwarding the executive bill titled, “Judicial Office Holders, Salaries and Allowances, etc, Bill 2024” to the National Assembly.
Highlighting the stagnant state of judges’ salaries and emoluments since 2007, Fagbemi commended the President’s courage, determination, and compassion in taking decisive action.
“It takes a man with a great heart, determination, and consideration to do what the President did. More than 300.3 percent increase has been given to the judges. The President has done his own part, never mind that the bill is still with the National Assembly.
“In my short stay as the Attorney-General, I have come to observe that anything that concerns the judiciary, you are very much interested in it, and I thank you for your abiding interest in the judiciary,” Fagbemi said.