Traditional rulers in Zamfara have called on the government to grant them permission to carry guns to fight bandits tormenting their domains.
The Chairman of Zamfara Council of Chiefs and Emir of Anka, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, made the call on Tuesday in Gusau at an event to hand over operational motorcycles to members of the recently established Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in the state.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) 8,500 members of the civilian JTF received a motorcycle each.
“This is one of the best ways we can all join hands to fight these hoodlums causing us sleepless nights in the state while their sponsors live in the luxury of the blood of the people in neighbouring towns and cities.
“The only power these bandits have over us is that they carry AK 47 rifles while we have nothing except perhaps sometime when we carry sticks in self-defence and one cannot use that against guns.
“Apart from the traditional rulers, many of the political office holders and our senior civil servants are traditional title holders and l am confident that if we join hands and with little training, we can be ready to face and defeat the bandits,” he said.
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He said, if the government could provide them AK 47 rifles they should also be given pump action guns and the official licence to possess and operate the weapons against the enemy.
He then commended the efforts of the state government and security agencies operating in the state at fighting the bandits and implored members of the civilian JTF not to take laws in their hands.
