By CLEM OLUWOLE
RECENTLY, a Katsina State lawmaker, Alhaji Abubakar Mohammed, has been in the news for the right reasons, at least as far as I am concerned. His bold and commendable decision to train and procure firearms for his people to defend themselves against criminal elements tormenting parts of his constituency is, in my view, the best constituency project any lawmaker has ever undertaken since the initiative was introduced to our political space.
Many Nigerians believe constituency projects are merely a conduit pipe for lawmakers to further enrich themselves. But after all, such projects can only benefit the living and not the dead.
It is unlike a Zamfara federal lawmaker, Kabiru Maipalace, who chose to renovate 80 cemeteries across his constituency comprising Gusau and Tsafe local government areas. I am not saying the final resting place for the dead should be totally neglected.
But to make it a constituency project sounds strange in an environment where the living are finding it extremely difficult to stay alive due to hunger, pervasive insecurity, or both. Anyway, Maipalace has since denied the report in its entirety.
Mohammed’s firearms initiative
Alhaji Mohammed, also known as Total, explained why he took the desperate action to purchase firearms for his constituents, equipping them in the face of constant raids by armed bandits.
After all, it is said that a desperate ailment deserves a desperate cure. The situation in his corridor, as in other northern states, requires such an approach.
At Bagari community, located in the lawmaker’s constituency, some courageous locals succeeded in repelling a bandit assault and forced them to flee into the bush. However, the attackers still managed to abduct around 200 captives.
Reacting to their audacity, the bandits declared that any community that dared to stand against them in future would pay billions of naira for their temerity or face continuous attacks. Angered by these threats, the lawmaker visited the area and engaged with the volunteers who had been attempting to garrison their community with nothing more than stones. To encourage them further, he procured 50 guns to help them balance the terror acts they were exposed to.
“These firearms I distributed to the people are strictly for self-defence. Every society has its laws; I secured the weapons from the authorities and I engaged security forces to train the people,” he declared.
Legal context, historical precedents
Mohammed lamented that during the raid, the bandits left behind a huge number of casualties. On a condolence visit, villagers begged him to help them acquire firearms because when the bandits invaded, they could only respond with stones. If properly armed, they argued, they could match the criminals fire-for-fire and rescue their people.
The lawmaker stressed that security agencies, not him personally, selected, screened and trained those to be armed, assuring that lawful processes would be followed to secure additional weapons. With that, locals could return to their farms without fear, no longer fighting David-and-Goliath battles with stones.
It is worth recalling that in 2022, the immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, Alhaji Bello Matawalle (now Minister of State for Defence), authorised residents to own firearms after obtaining licences. In what was dubbed Operation Fire for Fire, his government even distributed 500 forms to each of the 19 emirates to facilitate applications.
This policy echoed Section 33(2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution, which recognises the right to self-defence in protection of life, family or property. Similarly, retired General T.Y. Danjuma has long called for Nigerians to arm themselves given the persistent failure of security forces to curb nationwide banditry and terrorism.
However, Nigerian law places strict controls on weapons. The Firearms Act of 1959 requires presidential or IGP authorisation for ownership and prohibits personal possession of shotguns, rifles, air guns and similar arms. Manufacturing and trading without licence attracts a minimum of ten years’ imprisonment.
Urgent case for state police, self-defence
How Mohammed managed to arm his constituents under such stringent laws remains unclear. Nonetheless, the time is ripe to encourage eligible Nigerians to bear arms legally. The move is particularly pressing given the glacial pace at which the state police initiative is moving.
Despite repeated deliberations at the National Economic Council, bureaucratic bottlenecks have stalled its establishment. For ordinary Nigerians who live at the mercy of bandits, state police remains their last hope.
My heart bled when I heard of the gruesome massacre of 50 worshippers in a Katsina mosque. Imagine if just a few had been armed. Would the killers not have thought twice before launching such a pogrom?
Critics argue that wider access to firearms breeds more insecurity, pointing to the United States where gun proliferation correlates with high gun deaths. They warn that more weapons in circulation could also be diverted to terrorists.
But this argument has been over-flogged, leaving criminal elements emboldened while citizens remain defenceless.
Nigeria still accounts for 70% of illegal guns in West Africa, according to a 2016 UN report. Criminals are already heavily armed, while law-abiding citizens remain exposed. The reality is that security agents cannot follow us everywhere, but criminals can. Licensed self-defence arms, alongside state police, would provide citizens with a fighting chance.
Those who oppose state police are part of the problem, perhaps because they feel more secure than the rest of us who live with our hearts in our mouths.
As for me, I would not settle for the commonplace AK-47 rifle that is older than I am. Just imagine yours truly sauntering along the Abuja highway with a sub-machine gun strapped to my back. No criminal element would wish to cross my path.
Oluwole writes from Abuja via clemoluwole@gmail.com