By Lateef Adegbite
Bello Maealle , governor of Zamfara state, appears to have dominated the major tabloid Headlines in Nigeria and also became a subject of discussions in the Social Headline and on line publications both within and outside Nigeria including the BBC over his unilateral declaration of state of emergency in the north west state y asking individuals to defend themselves against Bandits attack by carrying gun.
This evident going by his directives to Auba Elkanah, the state Commissioner of Police , to issue licenses to individuals wishing to have gun in self-defence in the state due to the riotous activities of the Bandits who have found their way to the state from the Maradi region of Niger Republic.
The Zamfara governor may have heard at the back of his mind that being in the good books of President Muhammadu Buhari, he will support his actions. He had issued the Executive on Saturday, June 25, 2022, for indiduals to carry guns in self- defense. He may have hot himself on the leg as the Katsina state born Nigeian Born President who had returned from the commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwand, on Sunday, June 26, 2022, could not take it. There are indications that he may have consulted with the service Chiefs and other members of the Nigerian Security over the Zamfara state governor’s action.
Lucky Irabor, an Army General and Chief of Defense Staff, CDSS, may have spoken the mind of the Nigerian President when he said that the Zamfara state governor ‘’lacks the Constitutional powers to instruct the Commissioner of Police in the state to issue gun licenses to the public.
The Army Chief may have taking advantage of the Joint Exercise for the National Defence Collge War Colleges of Nigeria, code named, ‘’Exercise Grand Nationale in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory to speak out on Monday, June 27, 2022, on the Zamfa stte order. He has expressed his disapproval at the measures taken by Gov. Matawalle to contain the activities of Bandits in the state. ‘’I do not think that it is best way to go to contain Bandit activities in the state’’, he had aid.
He noted tht Abubakar Malami, minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation would look at the basis of the Zamfara state governor asking the citizens to bear arms in the context of the 199 Constitution as amended to tell Nigerians what the Laws say what the powers of the governor o be able to do this.
He may have sent a message to the governor that ‘’the Armed Forces are only intrumnt of implementation and thus, do not instructions from governors by from the Commander-In-Chief.
The Zmfara who may have known that he has played into the hands of the C-In-C, and the service Chiefs including Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector General of Police, IGP,had said that that his directive urging individuals to bear arms in the state was basically ‘’to complent the fforts of the military and other security agencies in the onging war of insurgency in the north east states of Adamawa,Bono and Yobe and Banditry activies in the north west states of Zmara, sokoto, Sokoto, Kaduna and Katsina.
In spite of the service Chefs opposion to the Zamfara governor Executive order , to oversee the implantation f the ordee, a top government official in he state said no fewer four special Committes have been set up to over see the iplentation of the police measure.
Governor Matawalle, who is not going back on the Executivr order for indiduals to bear firms in the state had said that the inaugurate Committees would ensure proer implementation of the new security measures in the state to tackle the upsurge in Banitry in the state.
