Yemisi Izuora
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Lagos Central Senatorial candidate in the just concluded elections, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, has said that the Federal Government order for Nigerians to surrender their guns before 1st June should be reconsidered in view of the growing rate of insurgency and kidnapping in the country.
In a statement in Lagos, Onitiri, said the order would be counter productive as it would further endanger the lives of Nigerians.
“I wish to implore President Muhammadu Buhari to first disharm the Boko Haram, the Fulani killer Herdsmen, kidnappers and the armed robbers rampaging the country first.
“In a situation where the government has completely failed to protect lives and properties of the citizens, it will be foolhardy and suicidal for those who have guns to at least protect their lives and loved ones to surrender their guns”,Onitiri stated. The government should first attempt to protect lives of the citizens,
declare the Fulani killer Herdsmen as terrorists and deal decisively with their menace. Our security chiefs have failed woefully in combating the Boko Haram problems and the insurgency
According to the PDP chieftain, our security agencies should be overhauled and reorganised. They should give account of the $1B given them by President Buhari to fight insurgency.
I will strongly recommend that Nigerians who have genuine licenses are renewed and more licenses are issued to more people who have genuine reasons to secure their lives. It will be wrong to make us all easy-prey for killer Herdsmen ,kidnappers and armed robbers if the government fails in its primary duty to protect the citizens.
He said with the current dangerous situation in the country, the citizens should not be prevented from protecting their lives. Lives have no duplicate. It’s our fundamental rights to protect our lives first and foremost which we should not be denied of.
The insecurity in our country has reached an alarming situation that we cannot afford to leave it in the hands of our security agencies alone, the citizens owe it a duty to protect themselves.
“Our youths are daily migrating to overseas countries and even African countries due to increase in crime rates and those that cannot migrate join the criminal gangs. There is no equity in the distribution of our commonwealth. The gap between the poor and the rich is widening at alarming rate.
A nation that is not fair to its citizens will know no peace, he warned.