Akeredolu Backs Matawalle on Self Defense Against Bandits, Makes New Stand on State Police
- Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has commended his Zamfara state counterpart, Bello Matawalle, for calling on the people of his state to get armed and defend themselves
- Zamfara is one of the Northwest states where bandits are rampaging, but Akeredolu said Matawalle's call would be halted by the ban on firearms by FG
- While reinstating his call for state police, Akeredolu stated that denying regional security outfits the right to bear arms would not help the national security that is overstretched
The governor of Ondo state, Rotimi Akeredolu, has commended his Zamfara counterpart, Bello Matawalle, for asking the people to take arms for self-defense against bandits.
Akeredolu, as reported by Daily Trust, through a statement by his senior special assistant on special duties and strategy, Doyin Odebowale, said Matawalle’s position confirmed the loss of confidence in handling insecurity in the country.
Source: Facebook
The governor said:
“It signals a situation of near- capitulation on the part of the security agencies centrally controlled by the federal government. It portends great danger for the polity.
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“It is a sad commentary on the increasing inability and impotence of the Zamfara State Government, and other states, to protect their citizens in the wake of relentless and mindless assaults by terrorists and bandits. It suggests a total lack of trust between the state government and federal government on the one hand, and the helpless and hopeless situation in which the people have found themselves concerning the security of lives, on the other."
Akeredolu made his position clear
Akeredolu said the government and the people of Zamfara state have been pushed to the wall and have no option but to rely on the current arrangement.
The governor maintained that the call by his Zamfara state counterpart could be halted because the national security adviser and inspector general of police have to issue licenses to citizens before they can have certain categories of arms.
Akeredolu calls for state police, firearms for regional police
While calling for state police, the governor maintained that the federal position on denying the regional security outfits the right to carry firearms, with the evidence that the country’s security outfits are overstretched and distracted by centrifugal forces, among others, are factors that make things worse.
He affirmed:
“A federal system of government cannot be administered as if the country is a unitary colony, controlled, rigidly, at the center, while the constituent units are treated as mere outposts.
Gun license: Police boss hits prominent Northern governor, says firearm ban still in force
Meanwhile, legit.ng reported that the Zamfara state commissioner of police, Ayuba Elkana, has said that the embargo on firearms is still in force.
Elkana said he is not aware of the state governor, Bello Matawalle's directive, asking him to issue gun licenses to eligible and interested citizens for self-defense.
The state commissioner for information in a statement on Sunday, June 26, said the government had directed residents to prepare and obtain guns against bandits.
Source: Legit.ng
