Nigerian activist and author, Raphael Adebayo, has once again called on the Nigerian Government to liberalize gun ownership, especially for farmers, women, and Nigerians living in remote communities that are most affected by extremist insurgency and other criminal activities.

In a statement released on 27 January 2024, the activist criticized Nigeria’s Firearms Control Act of 1959, stating that only wealthy Nigerians and the political class benefit from the privilege it provides. Adebayo noted that the estimated 6.2 million civilian-owned firearms in Nigeria are in the hands of the few people who are rich and powerful and less likely to be victims of Islamist terrorists and Fulani herdsmen. The activist warned that ‘in these desperate times, the right to bear and keep arms should not merely be a privilege for the moneyed class; it should be a right for every ordinary Nigerian who is of sane mind.’

Adebayo insisted that Nigeria must act quickly to avoid becoming the Mexican state of Guerrero where six-year-old boys are taking up arms to defend their families from drug cartel violence.

However, unlike Mexico where over 30,000 people die annually from kidnappings and criminal violence, the author stated that ‘more than 90,000 Nigerians have died yearly since 2016, mainly because of the escalation of violence by religious extremists, violent ultranationalists, and other criminal groups.’ He further added that Nigeria should learn from Mexico, noting that ‘there is nothing romantic or romanticizable about arming six-year-olds, but there are enough lessons here about the tragedies of social disintegration and state failure that may necessitate the transference or inescapable sharing of dangerous obligations between the old and young, even if they are six years old.’

The activist also mentioned that although ‘roughly 50 million or one in every four Nigerians’ suffer from some form of mental illness, it is not so different from the ‘30% of Ukraine’s 43 million people, 30% of the Czech Republic’s 10.5 million people, nearly 25% of Yemen’s 32 million people, over 25% of Guatemala’s 17 million people, and about 26% or over 80 million Americans,’ all of which are countries where citizens have the right to keep and bear arms for self-defence, hunting, and more.

Adebayo urged the Nigerian government not to refuse liberalizing gun ownership because of mental health, insisting that it should instead focus on making sure there is ‘countrywide access to mental health services, mental health awareness measures, and robust gun control.’ He believes this will make Nigeria much better than South Africa, where civilian gun ownership is legal, but ‘92% of people with common and severe mental health condition are not getting any mental health attention.’

In his conclusion, the activist said government should ‘define the ambits within which citizens may use legally purchased firearms to defend their families and properties,’ starting with farmers and other Nigerians in the middle belt where he recommended ‘permitless carry for a specified period, coupled with the liberalization and commissioning of accessible licensed firearms dealers to stem the current tide of fundamentalist and expansionist barbarism sweeping through the region.’

In remote areas of the south where Fulani herdsmen impose levies on farmers and rape women, Adebayo recommended ‘that any firearms regulation be less strictly applied for a given period, after which an assessment of the situation may be done.’ However, the activist urged the government to implement strict gun laws for the rest of the population, ‘including detailed background checks and a robust background check system, prohibition of convicts and those who may deliberately harm themselves from obtaining firearms, limitations on the type and number of privately owned guns allowed per household or individual, childproofing, microstamping, etc., etc.’

remymartyn:
People kill people, guns don't kill people