We must treat kidnappers as terrorists, says Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu says those involved in kidnapping must be treated as terrorists.

The President made the statement on Tuesday at a Ramadan dinner with members of the federal judiciary led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola.

Tinubu 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.

The dinner was attended by serving and retired judicial officers, including two former CJNs, Mahmud Mohammed and Walter Onnoghen.

The President also spoke review on the salaries of judicial officers, pledging that his administration would continue to implement necessary reforms to improve their welfare and working conditions.

“I recognise that the judiciary has one of the most unrewarded responsibilities. They are yet to modernise equipment and record keeping, and their progress towards improvement is slow.

“When you look at the career path of a judicial officer, they cannot practise the vocation for which they were 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.

President Tinubu expressed gratitude to the judiciary for their dedicated service to the nation and acknowledged their role in upholding the respectability of the judicial arm of government.

“We will continue to support one another and bring Nigeria to that glorious dawn,” the president concluded.

The CJN commended President Tinubu for the honour of hosting judicial officers to a Ramadan dinner and his commitment to judicial reforms.