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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The directive given by Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle that citizens of the state should obtain guns for self-defence against bandits unleashing a reign of terror in the state is in order, and it should be emulated by the six governors in the South West of Nigeria, and other parts of the country.
The highest decision-making organ of the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, known as Aare Ona Kakanfo-in-Council, made the assertion on Monday.
The Zamfara State governor had directed the state Commissioner of Police to issue licences to all those that are qualified and are willing to obtain such guns for self-defence. The Commissioner for Information in the state, Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, said it was imperative for the governor to give the directives based on the raging spate of insecurity in the state.
The Aare Ona Kakanfo-in-Council, threw its weight behind Matawalle’s directives, during its quarterly meeting held at the Aare Ona Kakanfo palace in Lagos on Monday.
The council, in a statement signed by the Gbonka Aare-Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gboyega Adejumo, enjoined Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) in the South West to take a cue from the new development.
The statement read in part: “Zamfara State governor has literally opened the eyes of other governors across the country. Taking up arms in self-defence is a global practice that should be encouraged, once it is backed by the law for it to serve its purposes.
It indicates the breakdown of the security architecture in Nigeria.
“There’s nothing bad if citizens take up arms to defend themselves. That is the normal practice all over the world. We have been raising our voices on the need for Nigerians to secure themselves with whatever they have.”
The council, however, commended the Lagos State Government for banning operations of commercial motorcycles in some parts of the state. It also called on governors in the South West to allow the South West Security Stakeholders Group(SSSG) to support Amotekun Corps, towards ensuring that the region is safe for residents.
The council stated further that “Security is a local issue. If the increasing spate of insecurity is to be curbed, the security network must be strengthened to cater for the security needs of the people of the region.
“When the issue of insecurity in the country is becoming unbearable, we advocated state police, which is one of the major components of restructuring. We also advised the Federal Government to embrace regionalism as the best option to address all the issues bedevilling the nation. The best solution to the various problems affecting the country is to adopt regionalism, which allows all six federating units to operate independently at their own pace as it was with the 1960 and 1963 constitutions respectively.
“What happened in Owo (killing of worshippers inside St Francis Catholic Church in Ondo State) was a bad signal. If the worshippers were allowed to bear arms while observing their services, what do you think would happen to the attackers? They wouldn’t try such a massacre. Bandits are usually on a rampage because they believe their victims are armless and powerless. But once they know that the people might take up arms against them, they will surely think twice before attacking their victims.
“They would eventually fail. But in a situation where those terrorists become the kings by displaying sophisticated weapons, the people become armless and at the mercy of their blood-sucking bandits.”
