For decades, Nigerians have tolerated the fact that the government pays no mind to the voices of the people, for the most part. At some level, this was overlooked because this neglect was not seen as discriminatory among the proletariat. It was believed that only the political and financial elite had real influence on the government and was able to lobby for just treatment and development in their region. In recent times, however, the Federal Government has inadvertently set a dangerous precedent where, unless their citizens bear arms and engage in battle, Aso Rock will not address their grievances diligently. One cannot help but think that if Nigerians tread this path it is only a matter of time before arms-wielding individuals take matters into their own hands and commit atrocities based on personal convictions. What originated as a protest for the rectification of injustice can easily turn sour if these weapons fall into the wrong hands.

Indigenes of Kpaduma community say they could take up arms

Yesterday, a story by Aljazeera shed light on the plight of some of the indigenous people in the country’s capital Abuja. Kpaduma, a low-income community in Abuja is populated by some of the original inhabitants who claim the city as their ancestral home. A 49-year-old farmer and resident of the community, Bala Iyah, disclosed that he was displaced from his previous home without compensation to make way for the creation of Nigeria’s new capital. Abuja was designated as the new Nigerian capital in 1976, replacing Lagos. Now, Iyah is on the verge of once again being forced out by the government, along with his community without the provision of alternative arrangements or compensation. But this time, these indigenes that pride themselves on a non-violent culture have asserted their willingness to take up arms to ‘fight for their home’. “It’s now clear that the federal government has never given attention to unarmed citizens,” says Yunusa Yusuf, the spokesman of the Coalition of the Federal Capital Territory of Indigenous Groups. “Now, our people have sworn due to the continuous marginalisation, deprivation and exclusion from the government, our people are ready to take arms if that is the only solution for dialogue”, he added.

…Nigerians all over the country are threatening to take up arms as well

Citizens of the Niger Delta region have begroaned the appalling environmental degradation of their communities for decades as a result of oil exploration activities. But their complaints often fell on corrupt ears and were often supressed until members of the community took up arms and vandalised critical oil pipelines in the region. On the back of these illicit activities, the region has received significantly more attention and following the recent potent attacks on pipelines, the government kicked off a program to clean up the region. This in combination with the government allocating land to the terrorist group Fulani Herdsmen have brought about the dangerous belief that the best way to get the government’s attention is to bear arms. The indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB), a group campaigning peacefully for the secession of the southeast from the country, earlier this year declared that they would begin to carry arms in ‘self defence’ in reaction to attacks and killing by security agents. In Benue state the movement against Fulani opposition have also expressed their proclivity to bear arms in response to the incessant killings of their citizens, which is yet to be condemned by the government. Ayodele Fayose, the Governor of Ekiti state earlier this year pledged to equip members in his state with arms o combat the herdsmen also as a result of inaction by federal authorities. The trend is also visible in the west of the country and could bring about unforeseen consequences if unabated.

A nation of arms is a bad recipe

The prospect of an armed nation is undoubtedly a worrying one. Not only would civilian casualties be inevitable but also the unforeseen consequences could be potentially dire. In a country where jungle justice is commonplace in many states, it wouldn’t be too long before one of these people get possession of an automatic weapon and leave in their wake a trail of casualties. With increased possession of guns in America, the country has seen record amount of mass shootings in the last two years. Outstripping any other developed nation by a landslide.

gun ownership states
Sources: Injury Prevention (gun ownership), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (deaths)

As foreign as it sounds, Nigeria is not immune to mass shooting episodes and a proliferation of guns in the community would increase the likelihood of such an event. The correlation between gun ownership and gun deaths is strongly positive. The rationale for bearing arms has always been self-defence and protection but this has too often led to civilian casualties when arms become routine in society. Conversely It could be the case that the government feels under siege as the public increasingly arms itself and decide to crack down on their citizenry, risking a social conflict.

What must be done?

The Nigerian governments in recent times have inadvertently sent out a dangerous signal to its citizenry and this needs to be reversed urgently. The populace need to feel that their concerns are being addressed when raised and that they have an effective course of action when they feel marginalised by certain policies. Communication of processes and considerations is vital to assuring people that their complaints are being attended to and this is only possible when government procedures are transparent. But transparency still remains a tall order in a nation where opacity is not only practiced but is now expected. Secondly if the government fail to tackle terrorism within its shores it creates a chasm for its citizens to bear arms in self-defence. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2015 the Fulani Herdsmen are the fifth deadliest terrorists in the world but President Buhari’s administration is yet to brand them as terrorists, instead validating their actions by granting them more land with which to rear cattle. Such actions have marginalised communities and states that have fallen victim to the deadly activities of this group. Resulting in the ubiquitous sentiments to bear arms for protection within these communities. Citizens need to feel safe. Lastly the precedent set in Niger Delta region is one that the current government needs to distance itself from and show a disposition towards conflict resolution before situations escalate into chaos.

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