New Telegraph

INVESTIGATION: FG yet to gazette Islamic groups’ proscription

There are strong indications that the Federal Government is yet to gazette a subsisting order of a Federal High Court in Abuja proscribing the activities of Yan Bindiga, and Yan Ta’adda “Islamic” Groups, about two months after, investigation by New Telegraph has revealed. Recall that sometime in November, 2021, Justice Taiwo Taiwo had declared the activities of the outlawed groups as “acts of terrorism and illegality”.

Apart from the two organisations, the court also designated the Yan Bindiga Group, as well as the Yan Ta’adda Group, including other similar groups operating under similar guise, in any part of Nigeria, especially in the Northwest and North central geo-political zones, as such. Specifically, the court had restrained: “Any person or group of persons from participating in any manner whatsoever, in any form of activities involving or concerning the prosecution of the collective intention or otherwise of the Yan Bindiga Group and the Yan Ta’adda Group under any other name or platform, however, called or described.”

This was as it pronounced terror activities to: “Include, but not limited to banditry, kidnappings for ransom, kidnapping for marriage, mass abductions of school children and other citizens, cattle rustling, enslavement, imprisonment, severe deprivation of physical liberty, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, other forms of sexual violence, attacks and killings in communities and commuters and wanton destruction of lives and properties in Nigeria.” Findings by this newspaper showed that the government may not have gazetted the order of court, thereby rendering it “inchoate”.

A source at the Federal Ministry of Justice, who confirmed the development on the condition of anonymity, however, assured that the issue was being given due consideration. “Yes, the referenced court ruling has not been gazetted. “But, I assure you that the needful will be done soon,” the source said. Asked to comment on the development, a retired State Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Mike Ejiofor, said it was worrisome that the relevant authority had yet to do the needful, about two months after the ruling was made.

The security expert alleged that it did not take this long for the government to gazette a similar verdict, in 2017, on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Hear him: “It is a pronouncement of court. So, the government has to gazette it. “I don’t know why it has not been gazetted. If it has not been gazetted, it is a thing of worry because it didn’t take time when IPOB was pronounced a terrorist organisation when it was gazetted. “Just like I said, it didn’t take them time to gazette IPOB, I don’t know why it is taking time now to gazette this, even though declaring groups including Boko Haram, IPOB has not stopped them from operating, but let the proper thing be done.”

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