The lawmaker representing Jada/Ganye/Mayo-Belwa/Tonga federal constituency of Adamawa State in the House of Representatives, Abdulrazak Namdas has called for bandits to be addressed as terrorists.
Namdas said criminals who kill, kidnap and carry out other forms of atrocities should be described as terrorists.
The lawmaker who happens to be the Chairman, House Committee on Army, stated this at the sideline of a capacity-building workshop on conflict reporting in Abuja.
He condemned the recent bombing of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) jet by bandits.
“Some people who are being called bandits may not necessarily be bandits, they are terrorists because they have moved one step forward.”
“The kind of weapons they use is no longer for banditry, not even armed robbery. They are attempting to bring down jets and it means that there is a serious matter,” he stated.
Namdas called on the media to address the outlaws appropriately and also assist security forces to succeed in the quest to safeguard Nigeria.
He, however, stated that the military is carrying out the assignment of the Nigerian Police Force.
The lawmaker disclosed that this is due to ongoing operations in 34 states of the country aimed at tackling insecurity.
Namdas said the Army has been handling some internal issues within the purview of the police and other paramilitary agencies.
He called for the acquisition of more sophisticated weapons to fight against criminals.
He assured that the National Assembly will continue to play its part to ensure the Army achieved set targets.
