The Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, has disagreed with a recent suggestion that Nigerians should start defending themselves against bandits.
He made his stance known while reacting to a comment by former Defence Minister, General Theophilus Danjuma (retired), who advised victims of attacks in Benue and Plateau states to stop waiting on the government and begin protecting their communities on their own.
Namadi responded by warning that allowing people to take up arms could lead to disorder across the country.
He said Nigeria has not reached a point where such action is necessary and that taking that path might worsen the already troubling security situation.
While addressing journalists, Namadi noted that the government is still actively working on improving security.
He believes that promoting self-defence would only add fuel to the fire and create even bigger problems.
The governor used the example of the farmer-herder crisis in his state to support his position.
He explained that if he had supported the idea of self-defence among the people during the conflict, the situation could have gotten worse.
Instead of violence, he chose to involve both farmers and herders in open discussions, alongside traditional rulers and community leaders.
Namadi said this approach led to the formation of a committee that worked towards peace by bringing all sides together.
According to him, engaging the people in dialogue helped to calm tensions and avoid further violence.
He believes that such peaceful methods remain the better choice for addressing conflicts and that resorting to violence should not be encouraged.
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