Onwuka Nzeshi 
…advocates legalisation of arms for Nigerians above 30 years
National Chairman, Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas ( HOSTCON), Prince Mike Emuh has faulted the clamour by Sheik Ahmad Gumi for the Federal Government to grant amnesty to bandits operating in the North West and North Central geopolitical zones of Nigeria just as it was done for Niger Delta militants.
Banditry, Gumi said, will continue until the bandits were rehabilitated, paid stipends and reintegrated into the society. However, Emuh who described this advocacy as wrong and awkward, argued that there was no basis for comparison between the militants who held sway in the Niger Delta some years ago and the bandits operating in Northern Nigeria. “Bandits, herdsmen, Boko Haram, kidnappers, all of them are enemies to this country. Whoever supports these groups in what they are doing is never a true leader of this great country.
I do not want some people to capitalise on the issue of amnesty because those granted amnesty in the Niger Delta listened to the voice of their parents to stop militancy in their region. I came on NTA to announce that I am their father. We welcomed the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo to Gbaramatu in Delta State to meet and discuss with the militants. “As I speak with you, we in the Niger Delta know that there are nine groups that were granted amnesty and are undergoing training under the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
They were agitators who were demanding justice over the exploitation of the oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta. The militants, including the likes of Asari Dokubo, Ateke Tom, Tom Polo and others were focused on agitating for a known cause which everybody could understand and identify. “Now, these people that are fighting and killing people in the North and Middle Belt region, what is their grievance? Are they agitators for any known cause? The answer is no. Look at what they are doing in Benue State, Plateau State, Southern Kaduna, Katsina State and Zamfara State.
What is the difference between the activities of these bandits and the activities of Boko Haram in Borno State and rest of the North East region? “They are enemies of this country. They are enemies of peace and progress. They are not even fighting because of religion. In fact, they are enemies of Islam, enemies of Christianity and enemies to God. How can somebody call himself a bandit and then come out on the highway and start shooting at vehicles, killing some people and kidnapping others? They kidnap and kill any one they see, even traditional rulers and security operatives are not spared.
These are faceless people wreaking havoc on the citizens of our country,” he said. Emuh argued that Nigerians above 30 should be allowed to carry arms. “Here we have faceless people wielding sophisticated weapons without license. People are carrying AK47 and other dangerous weapons with which they terrorise unarmed and defenceless citizens. So, let there be legalisation of armaments for citizens because when you are armed and know that I am armed too, you won’t stop me on the road or come to my house to rob me at night. “Secondly, every community should have their civil defence. We need to increase the number of civil defence people in Nigeria, they are just too small. We also need to increase the number of policemen in the country. Let us revisit the issue of community policing,” he said.
