Killings: Sowore, Dalung, others want gun approval for citizens

Dalung

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, political activist, Omoyele Sowore, and other agitators under the Coalition of Nigerian Patriots have demanded that Nigerians should be allowed to acquire firearms to defend themselves against attack.

According to them, such approval would put an end to the incessant killings and genocidal attacks going on in Benue, Plateau, Kwara and other places in the country.

They made the demand at a press conference held in Abuja on Friday.

The proposal comes barely five months after the lawmaker representing Delta North senatorial district, Ned Nwoko, sponsored a bill to allow citizens to have access to firearms.

The legislator explained that the bill was borne out of desperation for the citizens to protect themselves against the rising insecurity, stressing that the Police were ill-funded and do not have enough manpower needed to secure Nigeria.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Dalung said it was unfortunate that gruesome killings had been allowed to escalate across Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara and a few parts of the North West with lives, properties and livelihoods destroyed in the process.

He said, “Even more disturbing is a viral video where a self-identified Fulani coalition openly claimed responsibility for the killings and issued conditions to the Federal Government. The question to ask is: Who are their sponsors? Are they within the corridors of power?”

“These individuals, who have brazenly confessed to these crimes, must be arrested and prosecuted without delay. Their impunity further erodes public trust and emboldens more violence. I align myself with the submission of others.

“If the state can’t protect Nigerians, the National Assembly, through voice votes, should amend the constitution to allow Nigerians to bear firearms. After all, it was the same voice votes they used to legalise the state of emergency in Rivers. They don’t even need a quorum anymore.”