Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th senate, has said Nigerians have the right to defend themselves when their leaders have clearly failed in their responsibility to protect them.
Sani who made the statement in a tweet, said lives have been ruined by the growing insecurity in the country, and when government has no immediate answer to the problem, it is a logical thing for the people to take matters into their own hands.
He therefore, warned against those opposing self defense, saying it only gives the impression that government is responsible for the people's woes.
Bandits have ravaged and pillaged most parts of the rural north west.They move on motorcycles,raze villages,kill and rape with https://t.co/K31vrtG1Gv takes some days to find some of the corpses of their victims.If you can’t protect your land don’t interrupt those who decides to.
— Senator Shehu Sani (@ShehuSani) February 8, 2021
He said, "Bandits have ravaged and pillaged most parts of the rural north west.They move on motorcycles,raze villages,kill and rape with impunity. It takes some days to find some of the corpses of their victims.If you can’t protect your land don’t interrupt those who decides to."
It is unclear whether Sani's tweet is targeted at the security situation in the country as a whole, or particularly, in the North.
The country however, has been grappling with mounting problems of insecurity, with the Southwest making moves to cut herdsmen criminal activities in the region to size. However, the current crackdown on herdsmen in the region, is seen by the North, as an attack on the Fulani as a whole.
"Fulani are Fulani, whether they are herders or they are settled Fulani. Fulani is Fulani. So we are talking about a whole community being stereotyped as criminals," Umar Labdo, a Professor of Islamic Political Thought, at the Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano, said during an interview with Saturday Sun.
Sani had back in December last year, in the wake of controversy surrounding catholic bishop Matthew Kukah's Christmas sermon, warmed the North against directing its vitriol on Catholic bishop, Matthew Kukah, saying they should instead, channel their enemy in demanding that the North be secured from its own self.
He expressed concern that the North despite being in bad shape for years, is quick at ignoring its many problems by defending those who in reality, are responsible for their woes.
He wrote in a tweet, "My Dear Northern Youths; leave the Kukah in Sokoto and fight the Bandits in your shokoto."
He also advised Northern youths against becoming willing tools, saying they should not allow themselves be manipulated by their elites who are quick to use religion and region as shield whenever they are been called into account.