Katsina Gov, Radda, advocates for AK47, RPGs for civilians

Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has called on the Federal Government to allow citizens to buy and own weapons such as AK-47 rifles and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs) for self-defence, just like bandits and terrorists have access to guns.

Read also: Gov Radda rules out amnesty to bandits in Katsina

Radda who made the call during a media chat in Abuja on Friday, said the government should reform its laws to allow people to buy arms for protection.

Wondering why people cannot buy arms to defend themselves when criminals have access to firearms, the Governor argued that “if the bandits wrecking havoc across the country could have access to the market to purchase weapons, individuals should be allowed to own theirs.”

“We governors are so-called chief security officers of our states, but we don’t have the authority to command the military, police, or civil defence. They receive orders from above,” Radda said while responding to a question on why state executives cannot effectively tackle insecurity in their domains.

“It is a double-edged sword. We cannot fold our arms and say we will not protect ourselves because we don’t have the sophisticated arms that these bandits have.

“If a bandit can go to the market and buy AK-47, RPG, and all of those weapons, what about the people that want to protect themselves? They, too, should be equally allowed to do so.

“We are driving towards that and we are seeking reforms within the federal government in that regard.

“These people are holding it illegally; we are trying to hold it legally. Why can’t the government allow the people to hold this thing and equally confront the challenges?

Radda also foreclosed the possibility of negotiating with bandits in his state but noted that if they decide to come out and drop their weapons, they would be reintegration back into the society.

“Negotiation with bandits is a no-go area from my perspective, but I said if I am at the point of advantage, if the bandits come out and say, ‘Look, we are dropping arms, let us sit down and talk’, we could reintegrate them back into society. But I will not go begging bandits to come for negotiations.

“In our efforts, we have come up with the intelligence unit within the Katsina Community Watch Corps. This intelligence unit, even the corps members don’t know them. The reason for setting it up is to “In our efforts, we have come up with the intelligence unit within the Katsina Community Watch Corps. This intelligence unit, even the corps members don’t know them. The reason for setting it up is to check the excesses of the Watch Corps and also to gather information,” he said.

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