The Government of Zamfara State have given directives to the residents of the state to go out and obtain weapons, even guns, to defend themselves against bandits.
However, while some of the security outfits like the police and some of the masses have welcomed the idea, others have frowned at the directive.
Zamfara has been the hub for local bandits for years, and the state has resorted to diverse measures to checkmate their activities, including but not restricted to granting them amnesty.
Local vigilantes have also been funded to resist these attacks. DAILY TRUST reported that self-help community volunteer forces, known as Yan Sakai, in Hausa, have also been pushing back the bandits amid criticism of high-handedness and extrajudicial killings.
Zamfara State government said it would dispatch 500 gun licensing application forms to the 19 emirates of the state, making a total of 9,500 potential guns as it directs the state’s commissioner of police to issue the license to willing people.
Even though back in May of 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari issued an executive order, banning citizens from owning firearms as it is obtainable in countries like the United States.
Some of the citizens welcome the idea, others advocated for state police. The arguments of the later centered around the inability of masses to purchase or own the kind of sophisticated weapons the bandits wield.
Others maintained that the Federal Government has failed in securing the lives of the people and therefore a different approach which must include intelligence should be adopted.
