Killing of farmers: An act of cowardice by a group of deranged terrorists- Minister

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described the killing of rice farmers in Borno State as an act of cowardice by a deranged group of terrorists. , and that it does not reflect the progress being made by the military against Boko Haram.

Mohammed who stated this in Lagos on Tuesday 1 December 2020 while addressing online Publishers, explained that going after soft targets is an act of weakness and desperation by the terrorists, who have suffered huge setbacks in the hands of the military in recent times, adding that the modus operandi of a losing terror group is to go after soft targets in order to stay relevant. “It’s not only Boko Haram that does that.”

“The truth is that Boko Haram is badly degraded and can only carry out cowardly attacks like the one against defenceless farmers over the weekend. We urge Nigerians not to lose hope in the capability and commitment of the military to rout the terrorists. Rather, we should continue to support the men and women in uniform, who are fighting the terrorists with grit and determination.

The minister disclosed that he never said Nigeria is at the mercy of Boko Haram. According to him, “talking about social media abuse, on Monday, an online publisher quoted me as saying Nigeria is at the mercy of Boko Haram. This is sheer fabrication and an abuse of platform. While in Makurdi, Benue State, on an official visit, I was asked by journalists to comment on the killing of farmers in Borno State over the weekend. I said terrorism is a global problem that requires the collaborative efforts among nations to combat. I said Nigeria needs the support of global partners, especially in the area of acquisition of effective platforms to deal with the terrorists. I recalled that some of the platforms ordered and paid for by Nigeria have yet to be supplied till date, thus weakening the war on terror. How these statements translate to Nigeria being at the mercy of Boko Haram is baffling, and could only have come from warped minds who are more interested in attracting traffic to their websites than upholding the truth.”

Alhaji Mohammed said something urgent needs to be done to rein in the abuse of social media. “Is anyone still in doubt that something urgent needs to be done to rein in the abuse of social media? Call it regulation or whatever, we have to do something most urgently.

“But, as I have always said, checking the abuse of social media is not synonymous with stifling press freedom or free speech. Fake news and disinformation are not the same as free speech. For the umpteenth time, I want to say that this government has no plan to stifle free speech, neither do we have any intention of shutting down the internet as some have claimed. Social media has come to stay, and those who use it responsibly have nothing to fear. But those who abuse it are right to be worried,” he said.