Matawalle insists Zamfara residents must carry guns to defend themselves against bandits

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has doubled down on his directive that residents of the state should acquire guns to defend themselves against bandits.

The governor says there’s no going back on the directive in spite of the reservation by Chief of Defence Lucky Irabor on the matter.

In a bid to implement the strategies mapped out by his administration to fight banditry in the state, the governor has inaugurated four committees on security matters and also provided 20 brand new Hilux vehicles and 1,500 motorbikes for the commencement of operations.

The committees are Special Committee on Intelligence Gathering on Banditry, Management Committee on Operations of the Community Protection Guards (CPG), Committee on Prosecution of Banditry Related Offences, and State Security Standing Committee.

The governor said the establishment of the committees was part of the efforts to address banditry adding that his administration had explored all workable options to address insecurity in the state.

He added that the committee members were selected based on their track records of performance and expressed confidence that they would faithfully carry out their mandates to accomplish the goals.

In a statement by his Press Secretary, Jamilu Magaji, the governor made a veiled reference to Irabor’s opposition to his directive saying his government swore to an oath to protect its citizens.

“We will do everything possible to uphold this responsibility within the ambit of the law.

“We are aware of misgivings expressed in some quarters regarding the new measures, particularly the decision to encourage members of the communities suffering almost daily from the inhumane aggressions of the bandits to acquire firearms to defend their communities.”

He added that “the acquisition and usage of firearms by members of the general public who desire to do so would be governed by the Nigeria Firearms Act.”

Matawalle said self-defence is a natural instinct and has always been part of human survival strategy.