President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered security operatives to shoot anyone found with AK 47. Addressing traditional rulers at the State House in Abuja on Thursday 11 March 2021, Buhari affirms an earlier shoot-on-sight order issued through a press statement. He gives the military six weeks to stem the activities of bandits killing and kidnapping persons round the country. This is part of his administration’s desperate measures to contain the rising violence in Nigeria.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, links the marauding activities of bandits to the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the country. Acknowledging that the best of his administration in tackling the insurgency is not good enough, he assures that the military will restore order. He however calls on governors to improve the security situation in their states by looking inward.
Since the orders were given, questions have arisen about their appropriateness. Senior lawyer, Femi Falana argues that “by virtue of section 35 of the Firearms Act, the president has to make a proclamation with respect to the prohibition of possession of firearms and ammunition.” He says the directive is legally right when it is a signed declaration like an Executive Order.
You recall that President Buhari gave a similar order during the 2019 election period, directing that anyone found disrupting the election be shot. But Falana posits that such blanket orders amount to the president issuing death penalty by bypassing the courts. He argues it is against the law that provides that persons found with such weapons be disarmed, arrested and prosecuted.
Remember, Buhari says these are desperate times. It’s desperation founded on poor governance and unproductive politics. However, Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom in a desperate period takes on the president for not doing enough to check the activities of Fulani herdsmen who go about with AK 47. His 3 February 2021 outburst is the expression of the existential threat the people face as government fails to respond effectively to the deadly activities of killers parading the country.
Now that Buhari has responded, Ortom’s tune has changed. He is joyous while hoping that Security operatives carry out the order to the letter. The questions arising from the events; is to what extent does such blanket orders change the narrative? How effective can the orders be in a system arrested by corruption and maladministration? If the military is equipped enough to execute the orders, why are there still lethal weapons in the hands of insurgent groups in the country? Why are there growing insurgencies in Nigeria?