Dikko Umaru Radda, the governor of Katsina State, wants the federal government to permit people to purchase and own firearms like AK-47 rifles and RPGs for self-defense.
The governor stated that if the robbers wreaking havoc across the nation could access the market to buy guns, people should be allowed to acquire their own. The governor made his argument on Friday during a media chat in Abuja.
According to him: “If a bandit can go to the market and buy AK-47, RPG, and all of those weapons, what about the people that want to protect themselves? They, too, should be equally allowed to do so.
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“These people are holding it illegally; we are trying to hold it legally. Why can’t the government allow the people to hold this thing and equally confront the challenges?
“Negotiation with bandits is a no-go area from my perspective, but I said if I am at the point of advantage―if the bandits come out and say, ‘Look, we are dropping arms, let us sit down and talk’―we could reintegrate them back into society.”
He said further: “We governors are so-called chief security officers of our states, but we don’t have the authority to command the military, police, or civil defence. They receive orders from above.
“In our efforts, we have come up with the intelligence unit within the Katsina Community Watch Corps. This intelligence unit, even the corps members don’t know them. The reason for setting it up is to check the excesses of the Watch Corps and also to gather information.”
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