Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has accused the government of giving terrorists “celebrity treatment” at peace meetings while leaving ordinary Nigerians defenseless against attacks.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday and
titled “Beyond State Police: The Urgent Case for Citizens’ Right to Bear Arms,”
Dalung said Nigeria’s centralized security system had collapsed, exposing
citizens to bandits, terrorists, and violent criminals armed with sophisticated
weapons.
He argued that while criminals openly flaunt weapons at
government-sponsored peace meetings in the presence of security agencies,
ordinary citizens face arrest and prosecution for keeping even basic tools for
self-defense.
“The debate over the establishment of state police has
returned to the constitutional front burner, with arguments being advanced both
for and against it.
“While some focus only on the merits and demerits of
decentralizing policing, the Nigerian security reality has deteriorated beyond
such narrow considerations.
“With the collapse and compromise of our existing security
architecture, what is urgently needed is not only the creation of state, local
government, and community police, but also a constitutional amendment that
allows citizens to bear arms legally for self-defense.
“Today, bandits, terrorists, and violent criminals brazenly
wield sophisticated weapons—automatic rifles, hand grenades, rocket launchers,
and even drone technology—inflicting untold trauma on innocent and defenseless
Nigerians.
“Ironically, these same criminals are accorded celebrity
treatment at government-sponsored “peace meetings,” where they appear with
their weapons in full view of security agencies, including the military.
“Meanwhile, ordinary citizens cannot keep even a kitchen
knife for protection without risking arrest and prosecution. This double
standard has left the masses exposed, helpless, and trapped in a system that
protects the rich and violent actors while criminalizing the defenseless poor,”
Dalung said.
He called for a comprehensive constitutional amendment to
allow for the creation of state, local government, and community police, as
well as the recognition of citizens’ right to legally bear arms for
self-defense.
Dalung further accused opponents of state policing and citizens’
right to bear arms of dishonesty, alleging that many benefit from the failed
system or shield terrorist financiers who continue to operate unpunished.
According to him, Nigeria must adopt a layered policing
structure, similar to that of the United States, to enhance security and
restore public trust.
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