Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Amnesty International are frustrating the government’s efforts at tackling insecurity in the country.
Mohammed told a news conference in Lagos on Monday that although Nigeria witnessed a spate of insecurity cases like banditry in the North-west, insurgency in North-east and kidnappings in South-south but that the administration tackled insecurity headlong.
“Despite the antics of those who have constituted themselves to another ‘fighting force’ against our country, we have indeed made tremendous progress in tackling bandits and the terrorists of Boko Haram,” he said, pointing accusing fingers at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Amnesty International which he said are frustrating the administration’s efforts to tackle insecurity.
“Nigeria is fending off attacks on many fronts, not just from terrorists and bandits, but also from some human rights organizations and the International Criminal Court (ICC) which seem to have colluded to exacerbate the challenges facing the country in the area of security. While our security agencies continue to battle these bandits and terrorists, the ICC and some international human rights organizations, especially Amnesty International, have constituted themselves to another ‘fighting force’ against Nigeria, constantly harassing our security forces and threatening them with investigation and possible prosecution over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes,” the report by ThisDay newspaper on Tuesday quoted the minister as saying.
According to the report, the Minister frowned at the unbridled attempt to demoralize our security men and women as they confront the onslaught from bandits and terrorists.
“Nigeria did not join the ICC so it can become a pawn on the court’s chessboard. It beggars belief to see that a nation that is fighting an existential war against bandits and terrorists is constantly being held down by an international body which it willingly joined,” he said.
“Nigeria is a sovereign state and will not surrender its sovereignty to any organization. ICC, Amnesty International and their cohorts should desist from threatening our troops and putting the security of our country in jeopardy. Enough-is-Enough,” he warned.
The Minister noted that the malicious allegations stems from fake news and disinformation perpetrated by the media, notably international media, CNN which reported that the Nigerian army shot at unarmed protesters at the Lekki tollgate during the EndSARS protest last October.
He expressed regret that such a reputable platform will stoop so low to rubbish the image of the security personnel and warned that the government will not take the report by CNN lightly.
“I can assure you that the matter is far from over,” he said.
The Nigerian Minister also insisted that Nigeria was not a failed state and that it was propaganda by “some jaundiced analysts and their lapdogs’.
“Nigeria is not and cannot be a failing or failed state. Of course, you would remember that for the past two decades or so, some pseudo-analysts have been predicting the country’s implosion. That has not happened, hence they have found a new tag line: failing or failed state! It’s all a ruse aimed at depicting Nigeria as being in a constant state of anarchy, just so they can achieve their nefarious objectives for the country,” he said.
GIK/APA