#Features

X-raying implications of self defence

By Maria Famakinwa

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Over the years, the clamour for self-defence against terrorists has raged on. This is because multifaceted crimes against the Nigerian state and Nigerians have continued to thrive without any serious strategies being put in place by security operatives to end the challenge.

Nigeria, for the past decade, has witnessed unprecedented cases of bloodshed, destruction of property and displacement of people from their native homes and places of business. The level of insecurity today is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria. Virtually all the states in the country have witnessed enormous insecurity challenges lately, which could be ethnic, religious or otherwise.

The level of insecurity in the country has cast doubt on the ability of law enforcement agencies to protect the lives and property of the citizens, given incessant attacks on religious centres and schools, coupled with unabated kidnapping of innocent citizens for ransom. This was the reason Governors Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State instructed residents in their different states to defend themselves against terrorist attacks. 

Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, equally supported the idea of allowing citizens to bear arms for self defence. He said that Nigerians at this moment should be allowed to take up arms to defend their innocent souls, hard-earned resources and property.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, however kicked against the call by some governors encouraging residents of their states to bear arms to protect themselves, adding that the country’s armed forces and other security agencies were capable of securing lives and properties of the citizens. He stated that there was no rationale for asking residents of the states to bear arms. 

Opinions however differed when The Hope spoke with some citizens on the issue. Former Ondo State Commissioner for Education and Afenifere Chieftain, Chief Femi Aluko, said that he would not blame governors for telling the residents to defend themselves against terrorists but added that his fear was how they would be able to get sophisticated weapons like the types terrorists use.

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His words: “There is no individual who can defend him/herself against terrorists who have been killing for years. It is not totally logical for citizens to defend themselves against terrorists because the attackers are trained. They have different arms and ammunitions in their arsenal to confront anyone at any time. How many of the masses can afford to buy sophisticated guns? How many of them have been trained on how to shoot? These are the salient questions we should ask ourselves. The only solution is for us to choose a credible leader, come next year’s election, who will solve the security challenges in the country.”

A civil servant, Mrs Taiwo Aloba, disclosed that if citizens are allowed to bear arms for self defence, it would be abused. She cited cases of senseless killings in countries like United States of America and the United Kingdom where people at any slight provocation resort to killings because they are permitted to bear arms.

Her words: “Allowing people to bear arms will lead to senseless killings. We cannot allow that to happen in any state in Nigeria because the United States that allowed it is paying dearly for it, as someone can easily go on a killing spree. The only solution is to stop the insurgency in Nigeria, because it has never been this bad.  Legalising arms cannot solve the problem. The Federal and State Governments, including the security agencies, should find a lasting solution to the problem. If need be, all the security apparatus of the country should be overhauled.”

She said further, “Nigeria is gradually marching to self-destruction with the type of leaders leading the people. Where did the Constitution say that the governed should pick up arms and defend themselves against terrorists? This is to further show the incompetence on the side of our so-called leaders. It is the duty of leaders to protect those who elected them. It is not safe for citizens to bear arms.”

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Reacting differently, a political scientist, Mr Adeoluwa Adewale, hinted that Nigerians should be allowed to bear arms, going by the recent happenings in the country where lives were taken without recourse to the sanctity of life as enshrined in the country’s constitution.

His words: “I want arms to be legalized so that people can defend and protect their lives and property, because the security apparatus of Nigeria have been overwhelmed by different security breaches. That has exposed the lives of innocent citizens to avoidable deaths. If governments at all levels treated the lives of the masses as precious, they would have done all they could to address the situation before it escalated to this level. People can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed in a country where the government promised the citizens safety of lives and property.

“The present security situation of the country has degenerated into what Sir Thomas Hobbes referred to as State Of Nature, where life is ‘short, nasty and brutish.’ If the so-called terrorists are aware that everyone is armed, they will think twice before embarking on any evil adventure.”  He added that it is not justifiable for the Federal Government to forbid citizens from bearing arms to protect themselves and some people who claim to be terrorists are going about with sophisticated weapons, killing innocent citizens with impunity.

On if it will not result to a situation where some people at the slightest provocation would aim for their guns like what is happening in the USA and other Western Nations, the political scientist disagreed and said that those killing without reason in developed countries had psychiatric issues. “If citizens are allowed to bear guns in Nigeria, they must first be subjected to psychiatric tests to determine their state of mental fitness.”

A businesswoman who simply identified herself as Mrs. George also supported the call for citizens to defend themselves. The woman who lamented that the increased rate of insecurity had paralysed her business, added that the impact of government in fighting insecurity as earlier promised had not been felt by the citizens.

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“Desperate times require desperate measures. Our politicians are protecting themselves and their families in different ways and are telling us not to bear arms. If allowing individuals to bear arms will stop the senseless killings across the country, I am in support of it. Since government has failed in its responsibility to protect the citizens, it should allow us to protect ourselves. Members of our families and friends are being killed daily by unknown gun men and the killings continue unchecked. Why will the government prevent us from defending ourselves when they can no longer defend us?  I feel for the citizens of this country because we have been pushed to the wall. If the terrorists know that people are armed, there will be a check on their activities. In Nigeria today, security is a personal thing and that is the major reason individuals should be allowed to bear arms,” she said.

However, a security analyst, Ben Okezie, is of the opinion that Nigeria is not ripe to permit its citizens to carry arms. According to him, the fact that some governors have said it does not mean they are more knowledgeable on security issues, stressing that the indices on ground showed that Nigeria is not the type of country where you will permit people to carry arms freely. Speaking further, he said that if such was allowed, in one week, the country would become something else.

While describing Nigeria’s present insecurity as a situation that can be curbed because it is man-made, Okezie said: “By the time we finish curbing it, how are we going to retract or recoup all the firearms we have allowed people to amass? We should not go that way at all or we will be inviting catastrophe to the country,” he warned.

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