A former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, on Monday stated that Nigeria risks a situation where arm proliferation becomes a big security challenge, warning that the use of vigilante pose serious threats to national unity and stability.
Mr Kwankwaso, who was also a former Minister of Defence, stated this in a series of post on his official X handle.
The post which comes against the backdrop of escalating insecurity particularly in the north which is experiencing a spike in kidnapping, accused the federal government led by Bola Tinubu as being overwhelmed by the scale and complexity of the challenges.
He wrote, “Regrettably, it appears the Federal Government is overwhelmed. This is evident in its tacit endorsement to allow state governments to establish and deploy vigilante security outfits with little or no professional training. Such a policy, however well-intentioned, has inadvertently facilitated the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons across the country.”
The former minister also raised concerns over rising cases of ethnic and regional profiling, describing reports of citizens being targeted, harassed, arrested, and, in some instances, tortured in parts of the country as disturbing.
“Worst of all, individuals have begun taking advantage of this by setting up their militia, as we are seeing in the actions of some political elements. Such action further threatens the fragile peace in our country.
“Of equal concern is the rising wave of ethnic and regional profiling of Nigerian citizens within their own country. In recent times, we have witnessed disturbing reports of individuals, particularly from a part of the country, being arbitrarily targeted, harassed, arrested, and, in some cases, tortured in other parts of the country.
“This is compounded by the growing harassment, intimidation and hate speech on social media, often fuelled by ethnic and religious jingoism. These trends pose a grave threat to national unity and cohesion.”
Kwankwaso urged the Federal Government to act decisively to halt the growing threats before they deteriorate further.
“The Federal Government must act decisively and without delay to reverse these dangerous developments before they spiral further out of control.
“As a former Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Committee on the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, I find the current ease with which arms are being circulated across the country deeply alarming and unacceptable,” he said.
