Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, has stated that just because bandits levy fees on communities does not imply they have gained control.
He made the remarks during a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, in response to a piece in The Economist magazine headed “Insurgency, secessionism, and banditry threaten Nigeria.”
The Minister has previously stated that the London-based publication was incorrect in its assertion that terrorists have carved caliphates for themselves in Nigeria’s north-east. He said this as he chastised the Nigerian press for repeating the claim.
When asked about the situation in the North West, where bandits levy levies on villages, he stated that paying levies does not imply that criminals are in authority.
It occurs in many sections of the country, according to Mohammed, notably in the South, where touts known as “area boys” impose arbitrary charges.
His words, “Do you know how many places in this country where area boys collect taxes? And there is no terrorism or banditry there. I don’t want to mention names.
“In many of our cities, they carve out their own territory. So, it is not indicative of the bandits have taken over.
“No. I know many areas in Nigeria both in the South and the North where these kinds of things happen. So, it is not the same thing.”
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