The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has thrown its weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari over his recent directive to security agencies to shoot any unauthorized person at sight found carrying an assault rifle. The President issued the order as a step to arrest the ugly trend of insecurity emanating from terrorism and kidnapping which threatens to consume the country, especially the northern region. Buhari has given an executive order to security men, directing them to go into all bushes suspected to be harbouring the criminal elements and kill any unauthorised person found carrying Ak-47 or any related assault rifle.
In a statement, the ACF National Publicity Secretary, Emanuel Yawe commended the president for his commitment to ending the carnage, saying “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.
Yawe reiterated that the country is not at war, querying why some individuals should engage in possession of assault rifles which is considered only for state actors in the country. He stressed that even owning a Dane gun in Nigeria requires a licence before a person can possess it, but criminal elements have normalized carrying AK-47.
Therefore, the ACF said they are 100% behind the president for showing commitment.
In recent times, gun-wielding criminals have been on a rampage in the northern parts of the country with School students in states like Zamfara, Kastina, Niger at the mercies of these bandits.
