- Governors Masari and Ortom, General Danjuma, others have called on citizens to arm and defend themselves, citing inability of security of security agents to fulfill their mandate
The Nigerian Federal Government has dismissed the calls of Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, some individuals and organisations, that people should defend themselves against bandits and other criminal elelments.
Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Muhammed Dingyadi, said at Force Headquarters, Abuja, said the government was not in support of citizen self-defence as proposed, saying Masari and others are entitled to their opinions.
“I think we should know that we are in Nigeria, where everybody is entitled to his opinion. I think the governor has the right to canvass for what he thinks it is right in his state,” the minister said.
He, however, justified the calls if it is based on community policing strategies in order to improve security of the communities.
Dingyadi also stressed that the challenges presented by the bandits was the guerilla warfare strategy of hit-and-run which the armed forces were determined to contain.
According to him, the government and the armed forces needed the support of the citizenry as the government was “equal to the task”.
He added, “Of course, we shouldn’t expect the people to just be sleeping without taking measures to ensure that they secure themselves, they secure their neighbours and they secure their communities. That is the essence of community policing.
“So, we need to have the support and partnership of Nigerians in the efforts we are making towards fighting crimes and criminalities. I think that is what the governor is talking about.
“Everybody should contribute his quota towards fighting crimes. We are not saying people should take arms illegally.
“What we’re saying is that people should get ready in whatever it takes to do so, to ensure that we protect ourselves, we protect our neighbours, we protect our communities.”
Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State had last week urged people in areas prone to banditry to acquire weapons and defend themselves against bandits.
In a statement issued by his Director-General, Media, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi, Masari said, “It is the people’s meek submission that emboldens the bandits to continue with their heinous activities with murderous frequency.”
In March this year, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State promised to procure pump-action rifles for vigilantes to help tackle the recurring incidences of kidnappings in the state.
“We are not going to disband the vigilante as a result of threats from the bandits. Even when banditry activities in the state are stopped, the vigilante will still be there to provide security in the local government areas,” he had said.
Also, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State in May advised the residents to arm themselves.
“Get a licence for Dane guns from local government chairmen and use them to defend yourselves. In December 2020, he made another call to youth to take up the job of securing their community by complementing the duties of security agencies.
In February this year, the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd) told Nigerians to summon the courage and face marauding bandits kidnapping for ransom in the North.
Magashi’s comment came on the heels of the abduction of staff and students of a secondary school in the Kagara community in the Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
“It is the responsibility of everybody to keep alert and to find safety when necessary. But we shouldn’t be cowards. At times, the bandits will only come with about three rounds of ammunition, when they fire shots, everybody runs,” he said.
However, he expressed opposition to allowing citizens to carry arms saying, “Even in the developed countries, they are still debating on it, whether to continue or not. But I don’t advise Nigeria to start issuing firearms for personal use.”
In 2018, a former Minister for Defence, retired General Theophilus Danjuma called on Nigerians to defend themselves.
“You must rise to protect yourselves from these people, if you depend on the Armed Forces to protect you, you will all die. This ethnic cleansing must stop in Taraba and it must stop in Nigeria,” he said.
The insecurity that has forced the communities into self help such that residents could not go to farms or markets for fear of invasion, some of them rarely sleep in their houses at night.