A civil society organisation (CSO) has described the bill seeking Nigerians to bear arms and weapons for self-defence as an invitation to anarchy and chaos, given the volatile nature of the country.
The group, under the aegis of the Civil Coalition for Credible Election (CSCCE), through its convener, Hon. Aminu Usman, at a press conference in Abuja, decried the massive illegal circulation of arms, weapons, and explosives in the system, stressing that if Nigerians are allowed as suggested by the bill, Nigeria will transit to doomsday.
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He spoke against the backdrop of the bill, which seeks for Nigerians to be able to defend themselves against bandits and terrorists, sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District.
The group said the alarming number of weapons in circulation has made it impossible for the bill to sail through; hence, they called on lawmakers in the upper and lower legislative Chambers to reject it.
Usman said, “We are also quick to object to the proposed bill lying in the National Assembly proposing for citizens to bear arms in self-defence.
“Without mincing words, the bill, which was sponsored by Senator Ned Nwoko representing Delta North Senatorial District and has passed first reading, is an invitation to anarchy and perdition and should be rejected.
“In a survey carried out by a Swiss-based non-profit organisation in 2020, it was said Nigeria had an estimated 6.2 million arms, excluding explosives, in the hands of non-state actors, a number far more than the Nigerian military’s 586,600 guns and light weapons.
“The non-state actors and some civilians have used illegal arms to wage war against the state, and legalizing the use of weapons as captured in the ‘general principles’ of the bill as it were would not be in the interest of the nation,” he said.