Plateau Massacre: Beyond cosmetic solution and why able-bodied men should be allowed to bear arms

By Atekojo Samson Usman

The unprovoked attack on Plateau Communities that led to death of over 150 persons with several others injured is not only heinous, inhuman, but dastardly act that should be condemned by any right thinking person anywhere in the world. The victims are vulnerable people as they are mostly women, children, the elderly and one wonders what have they done to warrant their wanton killings.

Killings in Plateau has been a recurrent decimal and has lasted since 1999 when democracy was rebirthed in Nigeria. But in the nine years of the administration of the All Progressives Congress, APC and particularly during the tenure of the former President Muhammadu Buhari [May 29, 2015 – May 29, 2023], arsonists have attacked communities in Plateau State on countless times with Buhari’s administration doing little or nothing to curtail the ugly trend. The response was nothing order than press statements with vague promises. Amid fake promises for intervention, our mothers and children are being maimed; arsonists were having field day raping the young girls and murdering young boys in cold blood mostly at nights.

Even where there were modicum of sincerity on the side of government by deploying security taskforces, those dare-devil gunmen defied them to attack and escaped into the forest only to lay in wait to ambush security agents that tried to trail them. Amid the attacks, their sponsors would mount propaganda and attribute it to either politics or religious grounds. Whatever, it is, killing or taking another person’s life under any guise is not allowed in the Nigeria’s Constitution 1999 as amended.

President Tinubu’s response to carnage of this magnitude of the Christmas eve attack in Plateau and other same scenarios since his assumption of office as President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, was not different from the approach of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari who failed woefully. Hence, if the trajectory did not change, there are fears that Tinubu will also fail.

Amid anger trailing the heinous killing of innocent citizens in Plateau, Tinubu’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu on Thursday announced that Mr President has approved the activation of immediate humanitarian response and support to the victims of the Christmas eve Plateau Massacre.

The surviving victims do not need succour, but their security so that they can fend for themselves. After all, those are farmers and if only their environment is secured, they needed nothing from government. The announcement by the Humanitarian Minister is a cosmetic approach and a show of emptiness of Tinubu’s government.

Nigerians have seen this same approach in past years, yet nothing has changed. The released funds will only end in pockets of Directors in ministry and relief materials ended in stores in their private houses.

The circle of attacks in Plateau particularly has been the same attackers, hence, time is ripe that the able-bodied men in the affected communities should be allowed to bear arms in self-defence. The arms bearing in self-defence in this article is hinged on Section 33(2)(a) of the Constitution 1999 as amended. This section makes self defence lawful when undertaken in “defence of any person from unlawful violence or for the defence of property.

Also, in the ambit of Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution, security of lives and property becomes the primary responsibility of government. This responsibility does not only rest on President Tinubu, but the State governor, hence, Governor Caleb Muftwang is under obligation to protect Plateau people. If the governor does not pursue the idea of arming the able-bodied men in the ever-troubled part of Plateau with a view to self-defence themselves, then he was not ready to bring the wanton killings to the abrupt end.

The Federal Government seems to have done its best and has run out of ideas. Security agents have been doing their best, yet, blood flows in Plateau has not abated, and to be factual security agents cannot be in the entire 17 Local Government Councils, Wards across the State, Villages and hamlets at the same time. Plateau killings can only be ended by Plateau people and if the men are armed, they could form a coalition against marauders who are perching in their forests.

President Bola Tinubu’s days are already counting and should rise up to the occasion not only in Plateau, but other places too. He must not fail the same way Buhari failed woefully.

Plateau people must see arsonists as their common enemy and take the battle to their domain as the best form of defence is offence. This is a move away from the false narratives of religious, ethnic or political causative.

Atekojo Samson Usman is a journalist and writes from Abuja, Nigeria.