Brig-Gen Sani Usman (Rtd) said calls for communities to defend themselves against attackers following rising attacks on hapless communities in the country were a “recipe for disaster”.
He stated this while reacting to a call by former minister of defence, General Theophilus Danjuma, for communities to defend themselves against marauding herders, which generated mixed feelings.
Theophilus Danjuma, the former minister of defence, spoke in Takum, Taraba and asked Nigerians to take personal responsibility for their safety.
Danjuma said recent incidents of kidnapping and violent attacks have further demonstrated that the government cannot be solely relied upon to protect citizens.
“I know we have many problems, including security, as recently as two or three days ago,” he said.
“We have experienced kidnapping, the threat of kidnapping will continue until we, every one of us, rise and defend ourselves.
It is quite clear that the government alone cannot do it. I have warned a very long time ago, in a speech in Wukari, that our people must be prepared to defend themselves. That warning is as valid today as when I made it.”
While many Nigerians supported the calls, experts faulted such calls.
General Usman, a former army spokesman, spoke to LEADERSHIP and said it is a “recipe for disaster, even though it is understandable.”
However, lawyer Inibehe Effiong Esq. aligned with Danjuma’s position and disagreed with the former army spokesman.
He said, “Self-defence is a constitutional right protected under Section 33 of the Nigerian Constitution.
If those who are being massacred had the means to defend themselves, they would probably be alive.”
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