Social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has called on the Nigerian government to make provisions for citizens to protect themselves, including making it easier for them to access firearms.
Mr Otse made the call on Tuesday while speaking as a panellist during a session at the ongoing Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Annual General Conference in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
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He posted a video of the session on Facebook.
Speaking on the worsening insecurity in the country, Mr Otse said the number of police and military personnel was insufficient to protect Nigeria’s population of over 200 million people.
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“They need to make provisions for citizens to protect themselves. Make it easy for us to get guns because right now they are understaffed. They can’t protect everybody,” Mr Otse said.
“How many are there? The police and the military are not up to a million protecting over 200 million people.”
He, however, acknowledged the importance of security agencies in tackling insecurity, while calling for improved welfare for personnel.
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“Until we take care of them properly, they will keep on turning on us,” he said.
Police welfare, procurement
A police officer, who was also a guest on the panel, agreed that improved welfare could motivate security personnel to perform better.
The officer, however, called for greater accountability in the management of resources allocated to security agencies, particularly in the area of procurement.
He advocated transparency in government procurement processes to ensure that resources meant to improve the welfare and operational capacity of security agencies are properly utilised.
VDM speaks on herders
Mr Otse also spoke about the role of Fulani communities in Nigeria’s security architecture, saying they possess a strong communication network that could be useful in combating insecurity.
He alleged that information could quickly move across borders through the network.
Mr Otse further distinguished between Fulani people living in Benue State and those he alleged come from outside the state to attack communities.
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“The Fulani in Benue don’t attack the people in Benue. The Fulanis that come to attack are Fulanis from outside,” he said.
He also alleged that firearms were being moved through bushes across different states, with the involvement of corrupt officials.
“The guns we are talking about are only with one ethnic group that knows the bushes more than everybody – Fulanis,” he said.
He alleged that some corrupt government officials assist in transporting firearms and money through bushes.
His comments came amid continued concerns over insecurity across several parts of Nigeria, with attacks by armed groups, banditry, kidnapping and communal violence putting pressure on the country’s security agencies.
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