The senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, on Thursday 1 January, has detailed his proposed bill that will allow Nigerians to bear arms for self-defense following the challenges of insecurity across the Nigeria.
Recalled that Nwoko had recently proposed a bill for the introduction of a bill that allows civilians to own and carry firearms to protect themselves against the increased rate of insecurity across the country.
The lawmaker who stated that an amendment bill allowing civilian firearm ownership must be introduced in the Senate, added that the bill which is bordered on pressing issues, is currently listed in the Senate, awaiting its first reading.
Speaking on AriseNews Morning Show on Thursday 1 January, Nwoko enumerated the basis for Nigerians to bear arms as contained in the bill to include references from two medical doctors certifying mental fitness.
Additionally, others consist of endorsement from the local government chairman for community validation, a traditional leader’s certification, and confirmation by the Divisional Police Officer to authenticate the intending bearer’s criminal record.
“Talking about my bill, it is not just about people carrying arms, or just going into a store to buy arms, there are measures that have been proposed and they are very strict. In America, every citizen has a right to bear arms and it is enshrined in their constitution. In Nigeria, it is not so.
He emphasized that his intention is to specifically have a system where people who are willing to carry arms are given such opportunity.
He maintained that a part of the first conditions to be met is that every local government area must have a gun shooting school and if any civilian wants to bear arms, the first thing to do is to get trained on how to use it while former military officers in each of the local government would run and owned such schools.
He noted that those who must have passed through the school successfully would then seek the certification of their King and chairman of the local government to show where he or she hails from.
“We all have experienced the lawlessness that is pervading the nation or we know somebody that has experienced it. Somebody who has been kidnapped by kidnappers, militants, or herdsmen. We have come to a point in this country where must make an honest admission to ourselves which is that the security agents cannot really protect lives and properties as enshrined in the constitution.
“The common man is left to his caprices. The common man does not get any kind of support from the police. The police as a force is ill-equipped, ill-funded, and not capable of discharging those onerous duties. That is the basic fact. I am in the Senate committee on police matters and I can tell you that we do not have the number of policemen that we need to secure Nigeria as a country.
“The military on the other hand, I mean, we’ve been spending billions of naira over the years buying warplanes, different kinds of arms and ammunitions in the name of fighting terrorism and other crimes. But they are again not able to deal with the issues. So, a lot of money has been spent, a lot of lives have been lost and we are nowhere near finding a solution. Look, the idea of a bill to enable Nigerians to bear arms is born out of desperation and the fact that people do not have the kind of protection that they need.” He added.
It would be recalled that there has been similar calls by the former House of Representatives Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, in 2022 and the then Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, in 2020, who also appealed to the Buhari led administration to allow responsible Nigerians bear arms and safeguard themselves against growing terror across the country.
