By Gabriel Atumeyi
Nigerians have been reacting to the comments made by the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (Rtd), last week, wherein he charged Nigerians to defend themselves against attacks by violent and armed bandits ravaging parts of the country.
Magashi urged Nigerians not to be cowards, but rather be able to stand and defend themselves against the bandits.
Bashir, who spoke with journalists after a meeting at the presidential villa, said people must show that they are not cowards by defending themselves, contending that the operations of the bandits were sometimes carried out with few rounds of ammunition only.
His words: “It is the responsibility of everybody to keep alert and to find safety when necessary. But we shouldn’t be cowards.
“At times, the bandits will only come with about three rounds of ammunition, when they fire shots everybody runs.
“In our younger days, we stand to fight any aggression coming for us.
“I don’t know why people are running from minor things like that. They should stand and let these people know that even the villagers have the competency and capabilities to defend themselves.”
His remarks were to generate uproar, especially as it seemed the minister vested with the responsibility of ensuring the proper defense of the country was seeking anarchy through self-help.
Against this backdrop, 365Daily sampled opinions from a cross-section of Nigerians and complied this report.
It is an admittance of failure of government – Mohammed Idris, auditor
“As far as I am concerned, for a Defence Minister to say that to the nation, honestly, if it were a civilised nation, he would have resigned because for him to have said that means he is saying the government has failed in its responsibility. That it cannot protect the lives and properties of the people that voted for them? I have lost hope.
He is calling for anarchy – Gbenga Olende
“It is an unfortunate statement from the person of the Minister of Defence of this country. He is calling for anarchy. He is calling for a state of confusion because as it stands today, we have so many arms and ammunition illegally acquired by people who are still afraid to make use of them. But calling on people to defend themselves means that those arms and ammunition will start coming out. Even without defending themselves, they will start using it on innocent people. The security we are trying to quench will be escalated by that kind of statement.
“No one has the right to bear arms, unless he has license to do that. Nobody has the right to fight anybody, there are constituted authorities in charge of security. When there is an issue, you get in touch with them and they rescue the situation. If they are not doing much, we must support them to do the needful.
“As it stands today, our problem is not arms or manpower availability but intelligence gathering. The relevant security agencies are supposed to be proactive, to gather intelligence and anticipate and pre-empt such attacks. The security agencies need to be proactive instead of reactive in their approach.”
Self-defence should start with government sponsored training on arms bearing – Ike Chukwuka
“It is a safe option if the government can fund the required training for the willing.
“What are you fighting with, is the government arming them to fight? If the Minister or government wants us to fight back, then he or they should arm us or the people, and give us the required training to fight back.”
With government support, why not? – Abdulhameed Musa
“You can defend your community, like the vigilantes. They should or can form a vigilante outfit aligned with the security agencies. Government can give them some kind of support or license to move around and arms. It is a good suggestion. After they have accomplished everything, the government must endeavour to recover the arms or absorb them back.’’
Self-defence is the emergent and eventual solution – Odey Samuel
“There will be a time in this country, whereby everybody will have to protect their territory. It is not just protecting your territory, it’s high time you protect your family. Running away from bandits, war or crisis only makes you a loser. You don’t run away from your territory, where will you run to?
‘’I support the Minister. With unity, there is nothing we cannot achieve. They should just align themselves with the government security apparatus. The government can even train some people and send them to the communities to teach them how to fight, or to arm themselves. I am not looking at what has happened in the past, I am looking at the future.”
An impossible suggestion – Nasiru
“Why would he say that? Did he give them weapons to defend themselves? How can they defend themselves against people who are well armed? How can people armed with cricket bats confront bandits? What gives them the confidence that they can triumph? I think it is impossible for you that is not armed to confront people who are well armed.’’
Minister’s statement exposes failure of government – Gambo Abubakar
‘’That is a foolish man’s talk. That is a sign of a failed government. When the government is telling you that you should protect yourself, they are telling you that they cannot protect you.
“How do they expect the people to protect themselves? So, they are just saying they cannot defend us, that we should be ready to commit suicide. So, they want villages and others to rush heavily armed bandits, so they should be prepared to die?’’