From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
The Kuteb Elders Forum (KEFA), Abuja has condemned calls by former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Theophilus Danjuma for Nigerians to arm themselves and defend their territories and farms against bandits and killer herdsmen as a call for anarchy.
Spokesperson of the forum Mr Filip Ande said in a Press Statement that the remarks by the elder statesman is not only unconstitutional, but unpatriotic and unbecoming of someone who once served as a security chief in the country.
Ande noted that Danjuma’s antecedents in the State where he is known to promote sectional interests and provide safe haven for bandits on his farms where they go out from to carry out their exploits makes it clear that he has ulterior motives for making such calls.
He commended the efforts of the present administration in the country to tackle security challenges confronting the nation and urge people to support the government in providing a holistic approach that will ensure lasting solution rather than making statements that are capable of inciting even more violence just to score cheap popularity.
The statement reads in parts that “even as we agree that the security situation in the country presently cannot be left for the Government and security agencies alone, we don’t believe that people should be allowed to arm themselves. This is alien to the provisions of our constitution as a country. We can only help the Government and security agencies with credible information on the activities of bandits and terrorists in our communities and continue to urge the security agencies to beam their search lights on individuals and prominent figures in our communities who are responsible for some of the security challenges in our areas.
“We, the Kuteb Elders Forum, find this statement unfortunate, especially coming from a retired general. TY Danjuma is an influential political figure in Nigeria. However, to us in Taraba State, where he hails from, he symbolizes ethnic and religious divisions, trying to use his influence to snatch away the traditional (Ukwe Takum) stool of the Kuteb people in Takum Local Government Area, which is the traditional headquarters of the Kuteb Nation.
“We want to make it clear that T.Y. Danjuma is not making such calls because he loves his people, but he is doing so out of his selfish agenda and ethnic bigotry. He makes such statements just to deceive the Nigerian public with fake patriotism, calling for citizens to arm themselves against terrorists, which raises questions in our minds about where and how people can get arms and ammunition. No one has right to possess arms and ammunition unlicensed. The security of lives and properties is solely the responsibility of government and we have confidence in the renew Hope Agenda of Bola Ahmed Tinubu government and the security agencies head who are working day and night to curtail the insecurity in our communities”.
The forum noted that considering the staggering cost of arms and ammunition, calling on peasant farmers to procure and arm themselves against the invaders amounts to urging them to also take to criminal measures to raise the funds to acquire the arms and ammunition in such number that they can successfully defend their territories against the bandits and terrorists.