Nigeria not ripe to allow citizens bear arms, says NSCDC boss

Commandant General, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Ahmed Audi, has said Nigerians are not ripe to be allowed to bear arms.

Audi made the observation when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

He said: “I strongly disapprove of it. Even now that there is no law in existence, you still have proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the hands of people.

“It has to do with civilisation and education. Even in Europe and America where they have that law where virtually everybody, once you can drive, can have arms, they are trying to control it because of how some events unfolded.

“In the world, especially in Europe and America, somebody will just wake up and go to a school and open fire on kids. You know that is madness. And so, for me, I don’t think we are there yet, to allow citizens carry arms.”

Audi also spoke on efforts being made by NSCDC to address farmers/herders clashes in the country.

He said the corps, in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Agriculture, has trained over 3,000 agro rangers to provide security to farms and other agro-allied investments.

He described the unit as a specialised department, which also helps to reconcile farmers and herders.

He said: “They are still there and currently, we have even trained about 3,000 of them. And as you can even see me sitting here, this is their uniform, the uniform of agro rangers.

“They are under a department called Peace and Conflict Resolution. And using Alternative Dispute Resolution, they have settled over 1,000 cases between farmers and herders nationwide.

“You can see them visibly in Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Adamawa, Enugu doing their work.”