Insecurity: Ohanaeze Rejects Arms For Self-defence

Apex Igbo social-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has kicked against the clamour for everybody to be allowed to acquire firearms to defend themselves against bandits and other criminal elements.

Prominent people including retired security operatives have been clamouring for firearms for everybody to enable them defend themselves against bandits and other criminal elements.

But, in an interview with our correspondent in Enugu, the national publicity secretary of the organisation, Dr. Alex Ogbonnia said allowing everybody to own firearms at this time of Nigeria’s history would be a problem.

Ogbonnia noted that in a society where there was a wide gap between expectations and fulfilment from government as well as frustrations, poverty, unemployment, criminalities, among others, it will be a problem to allow everybody to own firearms.

The Ohanaeze spokesman, however, suggested that there should be five levels of security operations in Nigeria to tackle the high level of insecurity in the country but insisted that there must be proper screening of the levels.

While acknowledging the increasing level of criminal activities by bandits and others as well as clamour by prominent Nigeria’s for citizens to acquire weapons to defend themselves, Ogbonnia maintained that ownership of firearms by the citizens would not be the best way to fight back.

He advised that communities should be encouraged to strengthen their vigilantes and increase their membership, adding that they should be well-equipped to be in a vantage position to defend their people.

“In a federal system of government, there must be four or five levels of security operations. The communities should increase the membership of their vigilantes and equip them to defend and protect the people but there must be screening,” he stated.