Follow Us on Google
I find it astonishing that Governor Aminu Bello Masari as the Chief Security Officer of Katsina State and someone expected to be against unlawful acts, last week Tuesday came out to tell the people in the areas under his jurisdiction prone to attacks by terrorists and bandits to acquire guns to defend themselves. An illegal recommendation first made three – and – a – half years ago on Saturday, March 24, 2018 by General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, a former Chief of Army Staff (1975 – 79) and Defence Minister (1999 – 2002).
An advice that was repeated a few months ago by General Bashir Magashi, the current Minister of Defence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Of course, his statement is an admission that the government in which he is serving has failed Nigerians in the matter of security. To own a gun in Nigeria one must apply to the Police and get approval before one can purchase it. Until this is done anyone with a gun has committed a crime. It is therefore sad that Governor Masari and General Magushi do not know this because if they do they would not have advise people to acquire guns without license to defend themselves.
The only public office holder who had appropriately addressed the issue of those who want to own a gun is Professor Itse Sagay, a lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee against Corruption, who advised President Buhari to allow ordinary Nigerians to buy arms to protect themselves. In other words, he wants his boss to send a bill to the National Assembly to pass a law to make his suggestion become effective so that people can apply and buy guns after getting approval.
Since Sagay broached the idea two or three years ago Buhari is yet to act on it and I doubt if he will do so because most of the herdsmen attacking people in all parts of the county are his fellow Fulani, while he too is in the cattle business. Last year, he ordered the military and police to shoot at sight anyone found carrying an AK – 47 rifle, but since then no one has been arrested or shot dead because the majority of the herdsmen belong to his ethnic group while a good number of the bandits are also Fulani. But if the brigands had been people from the North – Central, parts of the North – East and the three zones in the South, it goes without saying that the order would have been carried out. The recommendations of General Danjuma in 2018 and those of Governor Masari and General Magashi this year cannot solve the problems created by terrorists and bandits in the country even if license is given to all those who apply to own a gun. This is because what the police gives is approval to people for the purchase of Dane guns and double – barrel guns not AK – 47 rifles. But since the hoodlums operate with AK – 47 and other sophisticated weapons anyone who wants to challenge them must have the same type of guns they use not inferior ones.
And from what a retired military officer told me last week it will cost from two hundred and fifty thousand naira to three hundred thousand naira or more to buy an AK – 47 rifle. How many people in big cities can afford the money to purchase the weapon, not to talk of those in the rural areas where the terrorists and bandits mainly operate who are mostly poor people?
As I suggested in this column last year the way to deal with the problem of insecurity nation-wide is for all the governments in the 36 States to establish security outfits singly or on zonal basis, as the Governors in the six South – West States have done and the five in the South – East are working on. And each state must have from five hundred to one thousand or more men and women in their security outfits and arm them with AK – 47 rifles to be impactful and to suppress the terrorists and bandits.
If President Buhari gets military and police men to arrest the security men and women in their state’s outfit for carrying AK– 47 rifles, the Governors should go to court and make the case that since terrorists and bandits are using AK – 47 their men too have to resort to such a weapon since the Federal Government has not been able to stop the hoodlums from using AK – 47 rifles. I am sure that soldiers and police men will not shoot at sight security men and women working for state governments, unless Buhari has turned Nigeria into a banana republic. It is my suggestion that most of the people to be recruited by state governments into their security outfits should be retired military and police officers and other ranks. People who already have training in using weapons and who under good leadership will give their best and behave responsibly.
With such a personnel, I believe the National Assembly will be ready to pass a law allowing those in the security outfits of the states to carry AK – 47. What the Governors should do is to mobilize legislators from their states in the National Assembly to get their colleagues to pass a law to allow officers and men in state security outfits to carry AK – 47 rifles.
If the monthly security vote allocated to them is not sufficient to have the security outfits the Governors should seek assistance from the big companies and rich men and women in their states and beyond for donations. Since they need a secured and peaceful situation for their businesses to thrive and be profitable I am sure that they will cooperate.
The last of Bible issues will return next week with why the adherents to Judaism regard Jesus as a false prophet and a fake Messiah whereas Muslims accept him as a prophet and Messiah to the Christians.
10 topmost immigrant Lagosians —Sir Adeyemo Alakija, of Egba ancestry (2)
After passing out of CMS Grammar School, Lagos in 1899 at the age of 15 he worked as a clerk in the Post Office in Lagos for ten years from 1900 through 1909 when he travelled to London to study law. He graduated in 1913 and on returning to Lagos he established his law firm in 1914. It was one of the most popular and successful chambers in Nigeria for 38 years until his death in 1952.
Sir Alakija went into politics about 1915 and his teaming up with Herbert Macaulay and Lawyer Egerton Shyngle brought him into prominence. But when he fell out with them his popularity waned. The estrangement was caused by his opposition to His Royal Majesty Esugbayi Eleko, the Oba of Lagos whom they and the Jamat Muslims supported. This made Alakija to lose the election into the Nigerian Legislative Council in 1923. Eleko reigned from 1901 – 1925, was deposed and sent into exile but returned to the throne in 1931 and died the following year.
Sir Alakija’s political fortune changed in 1933 when he became a nominated member of the Legislative Council representing Egba Division on appointment by the Colonial Government. He was there for nine years until 1941. The following year he was chosen by the government to be a member of the Governor’s Council.
Sir Alakija was the first President of the Island Club of Lagos founded on Friday, October 29, 1943 with a membership of 50 Nigerians and expatriates and he was also the leader of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa from 1948 until his death on May 10, 1952 fifteen days to his 68th birthday. He had close relationship with some organizations and communities in Lagos among which were the Lebanese and Syrians. After a visit to Lebanon in 1949 he was decorated with a Medal of Cedars by the Lebanese. He was later honoured by King George VI with the Knight of British Empire (KBE) in 1950. Like Alakija the English monarch too died in 1952.
