Posted by Katsina State’s governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has made it clear that he supports the right of citizens to bear arms for self-defense.
The security problems facing states are not the Governor’s fault, in his opinion.
He claimed they are just referred to as “chief security officers” and have no real power to direct the armed forces, police, or other security organizations in their respective states.
To combat banditry with the military, Radda’s administration legally established a “community watch corps,” and he urged the Federal Government to play a more crucial role in securing lives and properties in the country.
At a press conference on Friday in Abuja, the governor of Katsina vowed that his state would spare no effort in crushing the bandits because they are “hardened criminals who must be eliminated.”
He claimed that the “romance” of some traditional rulers in the State with outlaws was the subject of an investigation.
We governors are supposed to be in charge of state security, yet we don’t have jurisdiction over law enforcement, the military, or civil defense. They’re told what to do by higher-ups.
As a result of our efforts, the Katsina Community Watch Corps now has an intelligence division. Not even the corpsmen are familiar with this intelligence group. It was established to monitor the Watch Corps and collect data on their activities.
Some traditional leaders have been exposed, and they are currently being investigated. Under my administration, no one, not even commissioners, will be spared if they are proved to have engaged in criminal behavior.
Over ten million people’s lives, not just one, are at stake here. There isn’t a single person more valuable than 10 million or a single villager’s life. We’re doing everything we can to compile extensive data with the intelligence we’re receiving from the DSS and establish a system that will allow us to track down and bring to justice anyone who may be guilty.
It’s a double-edged sword, for sure. We cannot sit back and claim we won’t defend ourselves just because our weapons aren’t as high tech as those used by these thugs. Remember that if they are going on an outing, it will be carried out in the same fashion as in Borno, through the Civilian Joint Task Force, in terms of manpower, enthusiasm, and resolve.
They will be protected by heavily armed police and soldiers. Therefore, I believe it is a group effort. I believe that we are gradually adhering to the limits imposed by the law on our possessions.
We’re making progress in that direction and pushing for related reforms at the federal level. What hope do the law-abiding citizens have if criminals can go to the store and buy an AK-47, RPG, and other such weapons? They should be given the same privileges as everyone else. We’re attempting to hold it lawfully, while they’re holding it illegally. The government shouldn’t prevent the people from holding this event so that everyone has an equal opportunity to face the problems.
If the bandits come out and say “look, we are dropping arms, let us sit down and talk,” we may reintegrate them back into society, which is something I consider off-limits.
But I won’t approach robbers in the hopes that they’ll meet with me to negotiate. Let’s take care of this problem together. Let the weak ones come out; we will negotiate their return to society and the bargaining table. We cannot defend a criminal, even if they are our people and our brothers, he stated.