By Paul Onomuakpokpo
It is now over two weeks
since President Muhammadu Buhari ordered security operatives to arrest and
prosecute illegal arm-bearers. The president first gave the order towards the
end of last month during a National Security Council meeting attended by the
defence minister, the service chiefs, among others. He repeated the order when
he visited Nasarawa
State this month.
Here, we are confronted with two
possibilities. One is that the order has been fully complied with by security
operatives, leading to the mass arrest and prosecution of illegal arm-bearers.
The other is that the order has been completely disdained by security
operatives. Sadly, the second possibility is the reality today. Nothing
underscores this more than the fact that herdsmen who chiefly belong to the
category of illegal arm-bearers are still on the prowl despite the presidential
order. Indeed, the order has rather become a source of impetus to them to
illegally bear arms and use them to inflict pain and death on their victims.
