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ISSUES
11 Killed In Zamfara As Conflicts Over Citizens’ Rights To Procure Gun For Self Defense Continue
Zamfara State is one of the states in Nigeria always on the news for the negative reason.
Residents and indigenes of the State have continued to appear helpless as bandits waxed more stronger and repeatedly kill and destroy properties daily in the state.
Recently, the State Governor, Bello Matawalle, ordered citizens and residents in the state to purchase a gun, get it licensed with the state commissioner of Police, to defend themselves.
A policy statement from the Governor was greeted with alot of condemnation from the officials of Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari who have not being able to address the daily massacre in the state.
The Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabo, said, the governor has no power or right to ask his citizens to procure guns for self defense. Adding that, the Governor should use his political power to address the insecurity.
Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture, in an interview with BBC Pidgin English recently, said, the decision of the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, for citizens to procure a gun for self defense was bad. Adding that, the governor should have encouraged the citizens to support the security agencies in the state and provide them more logistics and equipment to fight the bandits.
While the Federal Government is busy, fighting against citizens right to procure a gun for self defense, bandits have continued to wreck havoc in Zamfara state.
Most recent of the unending mass murder in Zamfara state, is the attack on farmers at Dangulbi community in Maru local government area of the state on Sunday afternoon.
Details of the report as presented by Channels Television below:
No fewer than 11 locals have been killed as bandits attacked Dangulbi community in Maru Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State.
Sources told Channels Television that the incident happened on Sunday afternoon when the terrorists loyal to a notorious kingpin Damina attacked farmers on their farmland – an incident that left several others unaccounted for.
Dangulbi is about 100km away from Gusau, the Zamfara state capital.
The spokesperson for the Zamfara State Police Command, Mohammed Shehu, confirmed the casualty figure to Channels Television on Monday morning via a telephone chat.
He stated that the police authorities have since deployed a reinforcement team to the area to restore calm and normalcy in the community.
According to Shehu, the police tactical operatives have begun a confidence-building patrol in the affected community.
“The one at our disposal is 11 people (killed) and the command has already sent a reinforcement team to the affected community and the reinforcing team has been able to return normalcy in the area,” said the police public relations officer in the state. “They are currently on confidence-building patrol and there is relative normalcy in that axis.”
In separate interviews with Channels Television, locals lamented that Dangulbi and surrounding communities have been experiencing a series of attacks by bandits in the last few days.
Saifullahi Ibrahim, a resident of Maru LGA, said the notorious bandit demanded a sum of 2 million naira levy from the community in order to allow them to cultivate their farmland in the rainy season, adding that the people did as requested.
“The wave of attacks on our communities started about three days ago when a bandit kingpin called Damina asked our people to pay 2 million naira to him to allow them to cultivate their lands,” he narrated.
According to Ibrahim, Kango which is another village just about 2km away from Dangulbi was attacked last Friday and seven persons were reportedly killed.
“He (Damina) attacked Kango village, a 2km settlement away from Dangulbi, and killed seven people,” he continued. “Then yesterday (Sunday), in the afternoon, he proceeded to Dangulbi environs when people were on their farms working.
“They (the terrorists) rounded them up and 14 people were confirmed killed on their various farms and some (persons) are missing.”
The resident identified some of the victims as Lawali Yusuf, Basiru Bakwai, Murtala, Ashiru Suleman, Dayyabu Adamu, Sufiyanu Sani, and Kamalu Sani, among others.
This as that, words of General Lucky Irabo, condemning the Governor’s decision over the citizens procurement of guns for self defense are presented below:
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, yesterday, stated that the Zamfara governor, Bello Matawalle, lacked the powers to instruct the state’s police chief to issue gun licences to the public.
Speaking in Abuja, Irabor expressed his disapproval at the measures taken by Matawalle, 60, to secure his state against insurgency.
“I do not think that is the right way to go. I do not think that the governor has the power to instruct the Commissioner of Police to issue licences because the Commissioner of Police does not have the right to issue licences,” said Irabor, 56.
“The basis for asking citizens to bear arms, I am yet to know. I believe that the Attorney General of the Federation will look at the Constitution, what the laws say and what the powers of the governor are to be able to do this.
“There are other legal issues of governance that the governor could have addressed using the instrumentalities of the law available to bring greater peace and security.”
Irabor also clarified the position of the Armed Forces in the current administration, adding that it is not subject to directives from state governments.
“The armed forces are only an instrument of policy implementation. We do not take instructions from state governments, we have a Commander-in-Chief, and the Constitution gives the right and powers to the Commander-in-Chief. So, we are there to give support to the civil authority, in this case, the police,” he said.
Zamfara is following after Katsina State which had earlier reported the policy of increasing private gun ownership as a response to insecurity due to banditry. Katsina governor, Bello Masari, had in December last year, said it is Islamically allowed for one to defend himself against attacks.
“One must rise to defend himself, his family and assets. If you die while trying to defend yourself, you will be considered a martyr. It is surprising how a bandit would own a gun while a good man trying to defend himself and his family don’t have one.”
@views exclusive rights: Guardian Newspaper, June 28, 2022.
It is not clear if citizens need the approval of anybody or the Command-In-Chief of the Armed Forces to procure or use any means appropriate to defend his or herself against life threatening attack.
Self defense is self defense.
Government is not the giver of life, it only exists to protect lives.
We, believe, in situation like this in Zamfara state, the Chief of Defense Staff should start training citizens and residents in the state on the use of weapons for self defense.
Security Operatives in the state should be more professional, to ensure, citizens or residents with guns or weapons are well monitored and thus, not mistaken as bandits.
Military exists for the protection of lives against intruders. And not to serve as a clock in protecting human lives and properties.
