A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Ben Adaji, has asked the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, to permit responsible Nigerians to bear arms for self-defence.
Speaking at a media brief in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, he said if granted, the situation where innocent Nigerians live in perpetual fear of attack from bandits and kidnappers would be reduced.
Adaji added that security should be a collective responsibility, urging Nigerians to join the fight against insecurity.
The two-time House of Representatives aspirant for Ankpa Federal Constituency in Kogi State also urged the military to take advantage of the recent court order on bandits as terrorists to deal decisively with them.
He urged the military to use its Super Tucano aircraft to combat bandits and Boko Haram terrorists.
Adaji expressed the belief that if the government creates more employment opportunities and tackles poverty, the vices confronting the country will reduce.
Urging the government at the centre to embark on a massive disarmament campaign with sincerity of purpose to mop up all sophisticated arms which may be found in wrong hands all over the country, he asked the newly established Centre for the Control of Light and Small Arms domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser to step up campaign against illegal bearing and possession of arms.
Also advocating for the establishment of special courts for speedy trials of citizens in possession of illegal arms, he said such measures would enhance the control of the proliferation of arms in Nigeria.
While urging Nigerians to be conscious of their immediate environment as well as discountenance leaving total responsibility of their own individual and collective security to security agencies, he admonished the leadership of the new centre to deploy intelligence to all land borders and ports of entry to detect the illegal movement of arms into the country.