Former NBA chairman wants Nigerians to be licensed to carry guns for self-defense amid rising insecurity

• Former NBA chairman Benjamin Chukwudi Okoko wants the Federal Government to license Nigerians to carry guns for self-defence.

• He said law-abiding citizens should be allowed to own firearms to protect themselves against bandits and gunmen.

• Okoko also criticised multiple security checkpoints, accusing some agencies of extortion and causing hardship for motorists.

• His remarks have revived debate over whether Nigeria should relax its strict firearms laws amid worsening insecurity.

Former NBA chairman Benjamin Chukwudi Okoko has called on the Federal Government to review Nigeria's firearms laws to allow law-abiding citizens to legally own and carry guns for self-defence as insecurity continues to worsen across the country.

Okoko, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Idemili Branch, made the call while speaking in Onitsha, Anambra State, arguing that many Nigerians have become easy targets for terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other violent criminals because they are unable to defend themselves.

He said the government should liberalise the ownership of firearms through a regulated licensing system that would permit responsible citizens to acquire arms for personal protection.

"Government should liberalise the ownership of arms and ammunition to enable Nigerians procure arms for self-defence against gunmen and bandits," Okoko said.

The senior lawyer stressed that his proposal was not an invitation to lawlessness or indiscriminate possession of firearms but rather a call for the government to empower responsible citizens to protect themselves where security agencies are unable to respond promptly to attacks.

According to him, many communities have continued to suffer repeated attacks despite the presence of security agencies, leaving residents vulnerable while waiting for help that often arrives too late.

Beyond his call for licensed civilian gun ownership, Okoko criticised the growing number of security checkpoints mounted across the South-East, alleging that many have become centres for extortion instead of effective crime prevention.

He claimed that personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and some local vigilante groups operate numerous checkpoints that unnecessarily delay motorists and increase the cost of transportation.

Okoko said the multiple roadblocks waste commuters' time, increase fuel consumption and create avoidable hardship for businesses and travellers.

He urged the leadership of the various security agencies to sanitise their operations and ensure checkpoints serve genuine security purposes rather than becoming avenues for illegal revenue collection.

The former NBA chairman also criticised repeated cargo inspections by customs officers on goods that had already been cleared at seaports, saying the practice discourages business and increases the cost of moving goods across the country.

His comments come amid renewed debate over how Nigeria should tackle rising cases of terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks in different parts of the country.

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Calls for licensed civilian gun ownership have resurfaced in recent years, with supporters arguing that responsible citizens should be allowed to defend themselves in the face of overstretched security agencies.

However, opponents have warned that relaxing firearms regulations could increase the circulation of weapons among civilians and potentially worsen crime, communal violence and insecurity.

Nigeria currently operates one of Africa's strictest firearms licensing regimes, with civilian ownership of firearms regulated under the Firearms Act, which requires applicants to obtain government approval before possessing specified categories of weapons.

Okoko maintained that reviewing the existing law could help restore confidence among citizens while complementing the efforts of security agencies in tackling violent crime.