Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has debunked reports that he blamed the regime of Gen. Murtala Mohammed/Olusegun Obasanjo for Nigeria’s insecurity.
Naija News reports that Lai Mohammed described the reports as “fake news and disinformation’’.
Speaking on Tuesday in Lagos during a meeting with Online Publishers, the minister clarified reports on what he said when he recently featured on Channels Television’s News programme.
“It is amazing at times how people interpret ones’ opinions and views in a very negative sense,” Lai Mohammed said.
“What happened was that, the lead speaker at a Town Hall Meeting we held in Kaduna recently, made reference to the retreat by the former military Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon, after the civil war.
“He said that at the end of the retreat, there was consensus that all children born after the civil war must be given free and compulsory primary education.
“I simply elaborated on this information and said that if subsequent governments after Gen. Gowon had perfected this pledge, the bandits and kidnappers today will have no market to recruit their followers.
“I said we have about 13 million out of school children and if successive government had taken the decision at the Gowon’s retreat seriously, we will not be where we are today.
“There was nowhere I blamed Gen. Murtala Mohammed, but we are in the era of disinformation and fake news.”
Lai Mohammed said he was also misunderstood on his position that kidnapping and banditry were not offences that could be prosecuted by the Federal Government.
“I was responding to the opposition PDP which said that the Federal Government has not prosecuted any bandits or kidnappers.
“I said it is not the responsibility of the Federal Government to prosecute bandits or kidnappers.
“The responsibility of the Federal Government is to hunt them down, arrest them and hand them over to the states judiciary to prosecute.
“Incidentally, this morning, it was reported that 48 kidnappers were neutralised by the military in Zamfara state.
“Those who were arrested will be handed over to the Zamfara state government for prosecution,’’ he said.