Insecurity: Governor’s directive on arms bearing in Order — Aare-In-Council

The highest decision-making organ of the Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, the Aareonakakanfo-In-Council, has backed the pronouncement of the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawale, that citizens of the state should obtain guns in order to defend themselves against bandits.

The Aare-In-Council made its position known on the directive of the Governor after its meeting on Monday in Lagos.

The Zamfara State Government, it will be recalled, also directed the state Commissioner of Police to issue licence to all those that are qualified and are wishing to obtain such guns to defend themselves.

The new directive, according to the Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, was in response to the raging spate of insecurity in the state.

Rising from its quarterly meeting held at the Aareonakakanfo Palace in Lagos, the Aare-In-Council in a statement signed by the Gbonka Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gboyega Adejumo, urged other governors in the south West to take a cue from the new development.

The Yoruba traditional chiefs stated further that the South West can no longer tolerate the activities of terrorists masquerading as bandits and kidnappers killing innocent people at will.

The statement said: “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 it 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, while applauding the Lagos State Government on the ban on Okada riders in some parts of the state, implored governors to allow the South West Security Stakeholders Group to support operation Amotekun in ensuring that the region is safe for residents.

The statement added: Security is a local issue. If the increasing spate of insecurity is to be curbed, therefore, the security network must be strengthened to cater to the security needs of the people of the region.

“When the issue of insecurity in the country was 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 bedeviling 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.”

The Aare-In-Council maintained that the group will continually offer wise counsel to the authorities, noting further that the issue of insecurity remains germane to all and sundry

It added: “What happened in Owo 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 massacre.

“Bandits are usually on 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 king by displaying sophisticated weapons, the people become armless and at the mercy of their blood-sucking bandits.

“So I think the other governors, especially, in the South West, should do the same by allowing citizens of their respective states to bear arms in self defence. Such move would reduce the spate of insecurity drastically and peace could be restored partially.”