President Tinubu Says Kidnappers Must Be Treated 'Equally As Terrorists'

President Bola Tinubu told members of the federal judiciary that kidnappers should be treated as terrorists across the country.

Tinubu announced this on Tuesday at a Ramadan dinner with members of the federal judiciary led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Olukayode Ariwoola. The dinner was also attended by serving and retired judicial officers, including two former CJNs -- Mahmud Mohammed and Walter Onnoghen.

"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," the president said, as per the official X handle (formerly known as Twitter) post.

He added, "We must treat them equally as terrorists in order to get rid of them, and I promise you we will get rid of them."

Previously, Tinubu announced that the federal government wouldn't pay any ransom to release kidnapped people.

During the dinner, the president also mentioned the salaries of judicial officers, pledging that his administration would bring necessary reforms to improve the conditions of the officers.

"I recognize that the judiciary has one of the most unrewarded responsibilities. They are yet to modernize equipment and recordkeeping, and their progress towards improvement is slow," he said. "When you look at the career path of a judicial officer, they cannot practice 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."

Tinubu went on to express his gratitude towards the judiciary for their dedicated service to the country, highlighting their role as an important arm of the government. He promised that his administration would continue to "support one another and bring Nigeria to that glorious dawn."

During the dinner meeting, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi expressed his gratitude towards Tinubu for forwarding the executive bill titled, "Judicial Office Holders, Salaries and Allowances, etc, Bill 2024" to the National Assembly.

"It takes a man with a great heart, determination, and consideration to do what the president did. More than a 300.3% increase has been given to the judges. The president has done his own part, never mind that the bill is still with the National Assembly," he said.