Six Million Guns For Gunmen

The recent alarm raised by the former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar that there are six million alleged arms and ammunition in circulation in Nigeria, is a sad reality about insecurity in Nigeria.
The greatest beneficiaries of this malaise are the much orchestrated Boko Haram terrorist groups, ethnic militias, kidnappers, armed Robbers and Pirates as well as militants. These unholy men at arms are the harvester of these lethal weapons of dishonour and the rest of us who sleep with one eye closed are the bloody victims. Other beneficiaries are the business men who reap from the bloody gains from their illegitimate merchandise and businesses.
Theirs is not different from the blood diamonds in Liberia during the civil war in that country, as well as blood diamonds and other precious stones in the Congo. We can also speak of blood Gold in the North West and blood Oil in the Niger Delta?
Yes indeed, illegal gold mining is said to be used to sponsor insurgency and banditry in the North.There is a production and supply chain in the process.
Funding of insurgency or separatist struggles has continued to follow this trend in human history in Africa, South America and Eastern Europe.
The security architecture in Nigeria is yet to stem the tide in our clime. Some business men in Nigeria and Africa at large believe in making money at the detriment of the lives of ordinary people and to the detriment of peace and stability of their country.
The industrialized world also, are capitalists to a bloody extent. They actually trade on the blood of humanity .How else can one explain the exportation of lethal arms and ammunition to a civil population in Nigeria. Security experts are also of the opinion that there is a deliberate supply of these weapons of destruction to insurgents and ethnic war lords to destabilize Nigeria.
Speaking at Owerri, the Imo State capital the Nigerian Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola, said the intention of those who shot into Correctional Centres and freed prisoners as well as those who invaded the Police Head Quarters in Owerri, was to cripple the security system and destabilize Nigeria by unleashing anarchy.
There are more to their intentions indeed. These unholy men at arms in respective groups have their deadly unpatriotic intentions and those who supply them with these weapons of destruction are enemies of the people, they live in and outside the country.
Those who live here are business men and politicians with various motives. Some political activists have said that the reason why insecurity thrives in Nigerian is because politicians are not sincere.
Several indications across the country point to the fact that this assertion is very correct. If political office holders show sincerity at curbing the level of insurgency, banditry and terrorism, the trend will be minimized.
For instance in the South East many political leaders have paid lip service to the activities of IPOB.
The invasion of police stations and correctional centers by armed groups has a lot of implications. What is Federal Government doing about Fulani Herdsmen who carry arms freely without being arrested?
This is the situation everywhere. There are many examples of the illegal use of AK- 47 by these terrorists to kill farmers.
President Buhari recently announced a shoot at sight directive to curb the development but many political observers see the pronouncement as paying hip service to a serious situation.
How many of these Herdsmen, who are very visible, daily, wielding AK- 47 on their shoulders, have been prosecuted?
Lack of sincerity in fighting insecurity is responsible for the growing banditry in the North where the so called Bandits now make money through kidnapping for ransom.
The insecurity in the South East can be traceable to the inaction of the Federal Government towards the activities of the terrorist herdsmen.
While it is wrong to justify the actions of armed men in the South East, the Federal Government must be seen to be curbing the excesses of the Fulani who have become sacred cows. Government must stop their murderous activities and the restiveness among other groups will stop.
There are men and groups who will reject separatist activities and criminality if the Government does the needful. Government should mop up arms in the hands of these illegal groups and go after their sponsors who are home and abroad.
Some eminent Nigerians had called for all Nigerians to be armed to defend themselves.
This will be counterproductive, as it will increase proliferation of arms and encourage the arms trade and smuggling into the country.
Catalogue suggests that rather than arm every Nigerian as is being suggested in certain quarters, let Government arm all military and paramilitary agencies adequately and provide them with adequate training. The police, Civil defense, Road safety and customs among others should be adequately armed to fight illegal arms imports and those who patronize and use them to kill innocent Nigerians.

By: Bon Woke