US names Boko Haram, Ansaru as terror groups •It’s a welcome development —FG

THE United States (US) government has designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO), according to US and Nigerian government statements, Empowered Newswire reported.
Two statements from the White House and the State Department, on Wednesday morning, made the designation formal, and a third statement from the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, DC expressed the reaction of the Nigerian government.
While the US Department of State “announced the designation of Boko Haram and Ansaru as FTO under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended,” it also labeled the groups as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” under Section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224.”
A White House statement added that President Barack Obama had emphasised when he met with President Goodluck Jonathan in September that “we encourage Nigeria to pursue a comprehensive counter-terrorism approach that uses law enforcement tools effectively.”
Commenting, Christian Association of Nigerian-Americans (CANAN) president, Dr James Fadele, in a statement from its national secretariat in New York, said “we are delighted today that this has happened.”
The Nigerian Ambassador to US, Professor Adebowale Adefuye, noted that the Nigerian Embassy had earlier succeeded in countering pressure on the US govt from “religious organisations and politicians,” adding that the “continued intransigence of the sect compelled “our government to proscribe the organisation.”
With the new development, US regulatory agencies had been instructed to block business and financial transactions with the groups.
Reacting, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, hailed the decision.
Adoke, in a chat with newsmen on Wednesday, said “the US stance is a welcome development. We salute the US government for partnering with the Federal Government to rout out terrorism.
“This step will assist the nation to deal with these renegades. It will also help in strengthening the proscription of Boko Haram by the Federal Government.”
The group would now be given the same treatment US government gave terrorist groups, especially Al Qaeda.
The designation also set off a string of actions that the US could take against Boko Haram, including freezing of assets, imposing travel bans on known members and affiliates and prohibiting Americans from offering material support to the group.
It also meant that the US could hunt down Boko Haram operatives and kill or capture them without fear of breaching national sovereignty.