The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has backed President Muhammadu
Buhari’s directive to security agents to shoot any unauthorized person
carrying an AK-47 rifle.
Buhari
gave the directive as a measure to curb the activities of banditry and
terrorism in the country.
The
President had ordered security agents to go into the bushes and shoot whoever
they see with weapons like AK-47.
Reacting,
ACF’s National Publicity Secretary, Emmanuel Yawe commended Buhari for the
directive.
In
a statement, Yawe said: “Though only lawyers can interpret the legality of the
President’s order, that the President ordered people to be shot without trial
is a legal issue.
“But we agree that there is a need for the extreme measure to curb the spread of arms like AK-47.
“Some
governors are even arguing that people should be allowed to carry AK-47 and
that is not right. They want the country to dissolve into anarchy. It is not
right for private individuals to carry AK-47, which is known all over the world
as a very dangerous assault rifle.
“Nigeria
is not at war, so why should people carry AK47 freely? Even Dane guns, you need
a licence to own it. In Nigeria, people just carry AK-47 freely and they kill
people and nothing happens to them.
“The
ACF welcomes the President’s order.”
Lately,
gun-wielding bandits have been on the prowl in the Northern part of the
country.
Schools
in Zamfara, Niger, Katsina States have been the major target of the bandits.