By By Enyeribe Ejiogu, Olakunle Olafioye, Daniel Kanu (Lagos), John Adams (Minna), Paul Osuyi (Asaba), Chijioke Agwu (Abakaliki), Tony Osauzo and Ighomuaye Lucky (Benin), Sylvanus Viashima (Jalingo), Noah Ebije (Kaduna), Rose Ejembi (Makurdi), Stanley Uzoaru (Owerri) and Okey Sampson (Umuahia)
The dust raised by the call of the Zamfara State governor, Dr Bello Matawalle, on the residents of the state to acquire arms to defend themselves against “bandits” that have besieged communities across the state is still swirling and may not settle anytime soon.
The governor’s call, a seeming last ditch effort, struck a chord that resonated in the mid of the people of Benue, who for long had been at the receiving end of the murderous bandits, who have turned the whole communities into fields of blood as they killed men, women, children and even slitting the tummies of pregnant women, as well as burning houses, destroying farmlands, sacking the communities and turning the residents into internal refugees.
For Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, Matawalle’s call was essentially an adoption of the Benue option, when in 2019 he advised residents of the state to defend themselves against armed invaders.
Ortom had at a recent interaction with journalists in Makurdi renewed the call on the people of the state to get arms and be ready to defend themselves against any form of violent hostilities.
His words: “The renewed killings and attack will not stop us from doing the right thing. We are not against anybody. But this intimidation must stop. I already told my people to arm themselves because the Bible also allows us to defend ourselves. And those who kill by the sword should die by the sword. Those who kill by AK-47 or whatever means, should also die by AK47.
“I have told my people, don’t waste your time, don’t wait for anybody to kill you, kill that person first. That’s is my stand.”
Also, both the President General of Tiv Socio-Cultural Organisation, Mzough-U-Tiv (MUT) Worldwide, Chief Iorbee Ihagh (rtd CP) as well as the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Benue State chapter, Rev. Akpen Leva have severally called on the people of the state to defend themselves against gunmen who have consistently invaded their territories.
They urged the people that rather than run away from their attackers who come to kill, maim and destroy their ancestral homes, they should adequately arm themselves enough to be able to face them instead.
A security expert, Mr Paul Elimbi, characterised the directive of Matawalle to Zamfara people in this way: “When a governor makes such statement, it means he has lost faith in the system which constitutionally has the duty and function to protect the people. That means the system has failed. Secondly, it means the world of crime is having an upper hand. It shows that the government is bereft of creativity and initiative to deal with the situation.
“Third, so many people will be sent to early graves because they are not well equipped to handle such situation due to government’s helplessness. The governor is indirectly telling the people that he could not help them, therefore, they should help themselves. It means the government has failed. But when you tell the people to get their own weapons and protect themselves against criminal elements that to me, amounts to further encouraging lawlessness. The state governor, by such pronouncement is institutionalizing disorder and criminality. This goes to show that the government has lost its initiative and it’s helpless.”
Though the position of the Edo State government is that it would not follow the example of Zamfara and Benue states, notable voices in the state have dismissed the state government’s seeming display of the attitude of the ostrich, which pretends to hide its head in the sand.
Speaking in Benin, acting governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, reiterated that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, had clarified that only the Federal Government has the authority to grant licences for firearms, adding that the matter is on the Exclusive List of the 1999 Constitution.
He said that Nigeria is not the United States where every state can legislate on firearms, adding that until the National Assembly tinkers with the law the matter remains on the Exclusive List.
Shaibu, while noting that insecurity across the country was worrisome, said that the nation cannot become a place where every individual is allowed to carry arms, which at the end of the day would be difficult to control.
However, Bishop Dr Osadolor Ochei, immediate past interim chairman, Edo Civil Society Organizations (EDOCSO), countered the view of the state government, saying that the call by the Zamfara State governor that Nigerians should buy guns to defend themselves was a welcome development, adding that even in the Bible people were asked to sell their garments to buy swords, to defend themselves.
Ochei explained: “Well, insecurity in the country has overwhelmed the Federal Government and government has failed monumentally and the only answer to the problem is individuals and citizens of this country taking up arms to defend themselves. Life is sacred and it is given to man by God that nobody should take another man’s life except by judgment of a competent court.
“Now that impunity is the order of the day, and some tribes and certain persons have taken it upon themselves that the authority to kill belongs to them, it is my own personal opinion that Nigerians should rise up to defend themselves as the governor of Zamfara said the other day.
“Whatever it takes a man to defend himself, it is a right that cannot be denied. Number one, as a bishop and a Christian, Jesus told us to have a sword and if you don’t have, sell your garment to buy one. You don’t use sword to open the Bible, it is for a day like this that we have in Nigeria, that if there is confrontation, the first right is to defend yourself so that nobody else will kill you.
“Now, if certain persons say they have the monopoly to own a gun without license, and they can brandish it anywhere, kill, kidnap, destroy property and nobody in government challenges them, I am saying that Nigerians should go and look for gun and buy. If you can’t afford it, go and buy cutlass, go and buy axe, go and buy whatever even if it is blade, to defend yourself. I am saying Nigerians are entitled to have it for self-defence. I want to see how the president will arrest about 100 million of us that have guns and put us in correctional centres.
“The house he is going to build to arrest and keep Nigerians because we bought guns to defend ourselves, he should go and start building it now because the ones that are doing it, he has not built any and none of those so-called bandits or Boko Haram or ISWAP have been arrested and prosecuted. If you arrest any of them today, they will send message from Abuja, transfer the person arrested to Abuja and that is the end of the story.
“So, the government has responsibility for securing of our lives and property, instead of protecting our lives and property, government is the one sponsoring killing, maiming, kidnapping and raping in Nigeria.”
Another respondent, Bevy Efe, said that Nigerians must rise up to defend themselves, noting that nobody has monopoly of violence.
Just like Bishop Ochei, a community leader in Birnin Gwari emirate, Kaduna State, Alhaji Zubairu Idris Abdulra’uf, welcomed the directive by the Zamfara State governor to his people, disclosing that already the people of his emirate have adopted that option.
Abdulrra’uf lamented that the incessant attacks on his people had completely paralysed economic activities in their rural communities and made travelling in the area so difficult or even impossible in some places.
He said: “We have reached the point of no return. People are being pushed to the wall. Just recently, Randegi is one of the areas where these bandits go through to get to Zamfara State and Niger State.
“The people of Randegi confronted the bandits who tried to overrun the farming community, and they succeeded in dislodging the bandits. So, I think our people are now ready, if the government cannot perform its constitutional function. When people are frustrated, they will look for the best option for themselves, which is to arm themselves if the government cannot protect them.
“We are living in a situation where people can no longer work or even travel one kilometre from Birnin Gwari town to other areas and it is the same thing that we have in all the districts in Birnin Gwari. If something is not done, we are going to have food crisis. Birnin-Gwari used to produce at least 700 metric tons of assorted grains, but now people cannot access their farms. There are many cases, since the beginning of this rainy season, of people being abducted on their way to the farm and even the cattle they used for farming are being taken from them.”
Though the Kaduna State government has kept mute over Matawalle’s call, a group, the Concerned Northern Forum (CNF) urged the Zamfara governor to re-examine his position on the issue of residents bearing arms for self-defence.
Chairman of the group, Abdulsalam Kazeem, expressed worry that arms bearing by citizens may lead to more problems.
Giving reasons for the position of the group, Kazeem said: “We are not against self-defence, but we can’t support the decision directing civilians to bear arms themselves, because we are all witnesses to the inability of developed countries with accurate data at all levels with such policies and their inability to stop the consequences of gun violence.
“We as a Forum and one of the leading voices of our region sympathise with the government and people of Zamfara State over the current spate of insecurity and the untold hardship the said situation caused them despite their loyalty to constituted authorities.
“According to Fire Arms Act, private citizens are only licenced to acquire pump action and shotguns, so how can a farmer in Zamfara State defend him self against terrorists with GPMG, anti-aircraft and AK 47? Who will train the farmers after acquiring such arms, what is the capacity of our training ranges nationwide and who will be responsible for the training? And at what point will Zamfara State government retrieve all the said guns licensed to them? These are too many questions begging for answers.”
The group, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to deploy more security personnel to Zamfara State, “in order to empower local vigilante groups as we believe it will help in local intelligence gathering and our security agencies should be properly empowered, which in return will bring about efficiency, effectiveness and timely results that will stand the challenge of time.”
In his view, Colonel Dan Amuta (Rtd), who runs a private security agency, agreed with the position of Kazeem’s CNF, arguing that the acquisition of weapons must be centrally controlled or it would lead to lawlessness.
He said that the call by Matawale was a mistake as things must follow the right process.
His words: “There is what we call centralized control. Issues that have bearing with arms and ammunition, weaponry must be centrally controlled. You cannot call out individuals to be armed because it will result to lawlessness.
“The statement by the Governor of Zamfara to me is simply a mistake. It is out of place to call for everybody to be armed. That is not possible. At the federal level, government will never accept it.”
Also another security expert, Clement Nssien, differed as he told Sunday Sun that the issue was beyond tolerance as the people’s patience had expired.
He said there was no government in Nigeria any longer and the truth is for the people to defend themselves if they must be alive.
“The truth is that we have no government in Nigeria any longer given what we are witnessing and the people must take their fate in their hands. Some people are talking legally and quoting the constitution while the people are dying. They argue that Matawale has no right for such action and I ask: is it when his citizens are all dead that the Federal Government will sit-up to its responsibility? The call for self-defence is inevitable now.
“I hear the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Lucky Irabor saying that the AGF should tell Nigerians if Bello Matawale has the powers to give such order. Is it when all Nigerians are dead that the army, police and other security agencies Irabor is talking about will wake up to their job? I can tell you for free that this directive will be a precursor of what will happen in other parts of the country soon. The people are left with no other alternative, but to resort to self-help, nobody depends on the security forces/agencies any longer.”
In his view, the Director General of the Institute of Security, Nigeria, ISN, at the University of Lagos, Adebayo Akinade, a lawyer, said that Matawale gave the order as a result of frustration at the moment.
“If the Federal Government has failed to provide security for the citizenry, any other means is okay. So, the governor obviously gave the order in frustration. If the Federal Government had provided adequate security, there would be no need for Governor Matawalle’s order. The order was the only option open to the governor in the circumstance he found himself. This is not the time to be talking about law because we are already in a bad and lawless situation. The Federal Government should be up and doing.”
While also reacting to the issue, Mrs Cynthia Nkemdi, a security consultant told Sunday Sun that what Matawale proposed was no longer new as most Nigerians are already obtaining arms legally and illegally for self-defense.
“I align myself to the position of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on this issue. The inability of the government to provide security had made the people conscious of the need for self-defence and to develop their private security plans. Even if Matawale did not say it, individuals are now obtaining guns themselves against the attacks of terrorists and bandits. The precarious security situation has left many with no choice than to acquire guns for self-protection and they are not making noise about it.”
In Niger State, All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain and former Commissioner for Information, Culture and Touris, Mr Jonathan Vatsa, threw his weight behind Matawalle, saying that the need for people to arm themselves for self-defence is long overdue.
The former state publicity secretary of the ruling party said that the security agents have failed in their primary responsibility, which is to protect the people as evidenced in the daily massacre of innocent Nigerians, especially in the northern parts of the country.
Vatsa said that the governor must have spoken out of frustration over the daily massacre of his people, stressing that no responsible government could watch the people being killed with reckless abandon, adding that the number of innocent Nigerians that have been killed by terrorists in the country since 2015 to date is more than the number of Nigerians that die in civil casualties.
“It is obvious that the government has failed in its primary responsibility to the citizen. There is no security anywhere in the country, people are being killed without help from anywhere and you said they should not defend themselves. People are not safe on the road, in their houses or in their farms.
“Nobody needs to tell you that you need to protect yourself. The governor does not need to announce it, it is high time for Nigerians to defend themselves against these agents of darkness taking over everywhere in the country.
“These terrorists have practically changed the lifestyle of Nigerians. Children are not safe in the boarding schools, farmers can’t go to their farms. People are being abducted without any attempt to rescue them by the government that is saying you cannot defend yourself.
“The victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attacks are still with the terrorists in the bush for over three months now and many more others as if there is no government in the country. What exactly does the government want Nigerians to do, to fold their hands and allow themselves to be killed like animals?
“If the government is against people defending themselves against these criminals then there is an agenda behind the whole insecurity in the country because the government cannot say it doesn’t have solution to all these madness.”
Vatsa cited the attack at the Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State as a clear example of why Nigerians should defend themselves, stressing: “If the terrorists knew that the worshippers were carrying guns in the church, they wouldn’t have carried out the attack because it would have been fire for fire.”
Notwithstanding the orgy of killings by terrorists tagged bandits, Delta State government has expressed its commitment to ensure the security and safety of residents in the state.
Despite pockets of attacks in parts of the state, the government assured that the situation would not be allowed to escalate to the level where residents would resort to self-help to protect themselves against criminal elements.
Speaking with Sunday Sun in Asaba, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Olisa Ifeajika, said that his boss would not even contemplate giving such advice to residents in Delta State, insisting that it was not constitutional.
Ifeajika stated that security situation in Delta would not be allowed to deteriorate to the level where those saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives would be overwhelmed and get frustrated with the system.
He said that the outcry by the Zamfara governor resulted from frustration, seeing that his efforts at addressing security challenges in that state were not yielding the desired results.
Ifeajika noted that the security situation was peculiar to Zamfara to have warranted such advice from the state chief executive.
According to him, people have been talking about citizens bearing arms as insecurity keeps worsening in parts of the country, adding that the Zamfara governor only added his voice to it in desperate bid to draw focused attention of concerned authorities to the situation and save lives in that state.
Ifeajika stated that the advice also reinforced the call for state police so that state governments would be able to squarely deal with peculiar security threats in their areas.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, Aliyu Garba, has affirmed that the Command would not support any directive to issue gun licences to citizens of the state for the purpose of self-defense.
He explained that despite the increasing level of insecurity that it would be counter-productive to give guns to citizens indiscriminately. He argued that such self-defense mechanism should not be contemplated not only in Ebonyi State, but in the entire country given the temperaments of many of the citizens.
Garba opined that people of the state would be killing themselves daily if they were allowed to carry guns around.
He explained that the idea of gun licensing is not good for the Nigerian environment given the level of distrust, anger and bitterness in the country.
His words: “We have not received such directive from the Ebonyi State government. It is not even a good idea because Ebonyi people will be killing themselves on daily basis if they are given guns for self-defense. People that are looking for something and they hadn’t seen it. Now, the thing is at their beck and call? They will be killing themselves. Everyday, they are carrying cutlasses and killing themselves at any slightest provocation. What would happen when they are allowed to carry guns? Even the Americans are coming up with measures to stop their citizens from carrying guns and we are here talking about allowing people carry guns. You are giving African man gun for self-defense? I’m telling you, just mere provocation, he would enter the room, carry it and fire.”
Upcountry in Taraba State, Governor Darius Ishaku differed from the Matawalle’s position.
He said that rather than asking citizens to acquire weapons to defend themselves against terrorists, the Federal Government should support the various state governments to empower their local security establishments to tackle the menace more holistically.
The governor who spoke through his media aide, Mr Bala Dan Abu, recalled that the former Minister of Defense, General Theophilus Danjuma (rtd) had made the call earlier for the people to rise up and defend themselves since the security agencies had failed in their responsibility to protect lives and property of the people.
He, however, noted that security is too delicate to be left in the hands of the people and described the calls for citizens to arm themselves as desperate last resort as a result of how frustrating it could be for a leader to watch his people die needlessly.
“As a government, we would rather insist that the Federal Government should support the various states to enable them empower their various security establishments to tackle the menace of terrorism.
“In Taraba State, we have the Taraba Marshalls that was set up by the state government for this purpose. Unfortunately, the Federal Government spent a lot of time doing everything to frustrate the smooth take off of the security outfit. It is only now that we are putting it together to commence operation fully, but there is still the issue of funding.
“So, I will rather ask the Federal Government to empower and support the states to arm their local security establishments to address their peculiar security challenges. The thing is that, even if you ask the people to arm themselves, how many people can actually afford to acquire the sophisticated weapons that these terrorists use to match their firepower,” he said.
Similarly, former military administrator of Delta State, Air Commodore Luke Ochulor (rtd), said that the call by Zamfara State governor on its citizens to take up arms and defend themselves would worsen the situation and breed anarchy.
He said: “You can’t solve a problem with a problem, even the military wants to reduce the license of those who are having it. That’s not the way to solve the problem, best way to solve the problem in Zamfara is to give a leeway to the military and encourage them.”
Also, the traditional Prime Minster of Ndegwu community in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State who also doubles as the Chairman of Association of Imo State Indigenous Town Unions, Samson Ogbos, corroborated Ochulor’s views.
He said: “Allowing people over here to carry arms will degenerate to a state of lawlessness. It would be bastardised such that at the slightest provocation you will see a neighbour shooting his fellow neighbour; even some family members will shoot one another.”
In Abia State, the position of government officials and opinion leaders leaders are that liberalizing the carrying of arms would not in any way curb insecurity in the state, arguing that it would rather escalate it.
Their belief was that liberalizing the possession of arms could make such weapons end up in wrong hands, and then used by such individuals to unleash mayhem on the society and the people would be worse for it.
Though Abia State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikamnanyo, could not be reached to speak on the government’s position, a senior official of the Ministry told Sunday Sun that only the state governor could speak on the issue, given its sensitive nature.
He, however, suggested that the state government could strengthen her security outfits, including the Bakassi Boys, Homeland Security and Ebubeagu.
Ude Okoro, an official of the Landlord’s Association in Abia did not think along the line of arming residents as a way of curbing insecurity in the state.
“Advocating the arming of residents as a means of checkmating insecurity in the state, will not in any way be the panacea for curbing insecurity in Abia.
“Look at what happened during electioneering period in the past, when some politicians armed thugs to help them win election and after the elections, the thugs ended up using the said guns to terrorize the citizens.
“So, if that was the case, then come to think of when everybody is allowed to have a gun, hell will be let loose, there will be anarchy everywhere”, Okoro said.
A community leader, Ibe Onyeaku, equally agreed with Okoro’s view of liberalising arms should not be allowed, saying, “Nigeria has not got to the level where the advanced climes are operating, and joining them to liberalize carrying of arms, will spell doom for the state and the country.”