Governor Bala Mohammed was wrong for backing herdsmen carrying AK-47, OPC declares
- OPC has condemned Governor Bala Mohammed over his comment on herdsmen
- Mohammed had said that herdsmen have the right to bear arms to defend themselves against attacks
- The Yoruba group, however, said that herdsmen's cows have destroyed hectares of farms in the southwest
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Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has again been hit for saying herdsmen carry AK-47 rifles to protect themselves from attack.
The Punch reports that Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) berated Governor Mohammed, vowing to launch spiritual and physical attacks against killer herdsmen if the abductions and killings in the southwest continue.
Legit.ng gathered that the deputy president of the OPC, Otunba Wasiu Afolabi, said this after a meeting with leaders of the group in Lagos on Tuesday, February 16.
Source: Twitter
Afolabi, who was deputy to the late OPC founder, Frederick Fasehun, said President Muhammadu Buhari had failed to protect the people of the southwest.
He said utterances from the presidency and Bauchi governor’s support of herdsmen bearing AK-47 rifles exposed a deliberate agenda in which armed Fulani foreigners entered the country on a mission of conquering the Middle Belt, the south and other minority tribes in the north.
He said:
“It is informative that the government has not deemed it necessary to mandate the police and the army to launch operations into the forests where kidnappers are operating without hindrance."
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the bearing of illegal firearms in Nigeria may soon be criminalised if a bill seeking to impose stiffer penalties on the bearers finally becomes law.
It was reported that the bill entitled firearms act CAP F28 LFN 2004 (amendment) bill 2021, passed second reading at the Senate on Tuesday, February 16.
Sani, while moving the motion during a plenary, said firearms illegally imported into the country should be destroyed.
He said the main aim of the proposed amendments is to curtail the proliferation of illegal arms and bring the existing law in line with global best practices.
The lawmaker also noted that the amendment would effectively address some of the security challenges currently plaguing Nigeria.
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Wale Akinola is a passionate journalist and researcher. He works as a senior political/current affairs editor at Legit.ng. He holds both B.A and Master’s degree in Communications and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan. He also holds a Diploma Certificate in Peace Journalism. He has over 15 years of work experience in both print and online media. He derives joy in keeping the public abreast of current happenings locally and internationally through his writings.
Source: Legit.ng
