Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State is facing harsh criticism from different parts of the country after defending the right of herders to go about with AK-47.

His fellow governor, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, challenged Mohammed to cite the law that allows herders to carry assault guns.

“They (herders) have no option than to carry AK-47 because the society and the government are not protecting them,” the Bauchi State governor had said on Thursday while reacting to recent comments and actions against suspected criminal herders in parts of the country.

Mohammed added, “It is not his (herder’s) fault, it is the fault of the government and the people; you don’t criminalise all of them, because in every tribe, there are criminals. You should be very sensitive. We have to be careful.”

He berated his colleagues in the South-West and South-East for the manner in which they are handling the herders’ crisis and claimed they are not accommodating people from other ethnic groups.

“You have seen what our colleagues in the South-West are doing and some of them in South-East. Some of us told them with all modesty and humility – you are wrong.”

Hitting back at Mohammed, Governor Ortom wondered how much the Bauchi governor knew about alleged atrocities perpetrated in parts of the country by herders.

Ortom in a statement said while he would not want to join issues with his counterpart, he found it shocking that a colleague who took the oath of office as he also did, to protect and preserve the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, now takes the lead in violating provisions of the same constitution by calling for lawlessness.

According to Ortom, the most shocking part of Governor Bala Mohammed’s statement was where he defended herdsmen for bearing arms saying ”they have no option than to carry AK-47 because the society and the government are not protecting them”.

The Benue governor questioned the section of the law the Bauchi governor cited to support herdsmen’s free movement around the country with sophisticated weapons.

He said, “It was the same Governor Mohammed who once said on national television that a Fulani man is a global citizen and therefore does not need a visa to come to Nigeria, and that the forests belong to herdsmen.”

In reference to Governor Bala Mohammed’s comment that there are Benue people who are freely doing business in Bauchi and elsewhere, Ortom stated that Benue indigenes in Bauchi have been law-abiding and do not carry arms to attack their hosts, noting that Fulani, as well as many other Nigerians residing in Benue who respect laws of the land, also live peacefully with their hosts.

Ortom insisted that his administration had not driven away any law-abiding Nigerian in Benue State.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Senator Shehu Sani.

Sani, in a short response, said Bala Mohammed’s comment was nothing short of baptising infamy.

“My Brother, Bauchi Governor’s justification for AK-47 amounts to baptizing infamy,” he tweeted.

The Pan Niger Delta Forum, (PANDEF), labeled Bala Muhammed’s statement reckless, careless and an invitation to anarchy.

“It is sad that the Bauchi State governor, Bala Muhammed, would make that kind of statement. Invariably, what he is saying is that every business person in Nigeria should carry AK-47. That is what he is saying and that is a call for anarchy,” National Publicity Secretary of the forum, Ken Robinson in a chat with our correspondent yesterday.

He added, “That is a call for total collapse of governance in the country. It is an irresponsible statement from a governor that some of us hold in high esteem. It is unfortunate that he is saying that.

“Instead of that kind of statement, what we of expect governor Bala is to caution the herdsmen to respect the law and the people on whose lands they do business instead of forcefully occupying lands, terrorising innocent citizens and molesting women.

“As long as those in authority in the North continue to make this kind of statements, the herders’ crisis will continue to aggravate and embolden these people to do the kind of criminal activities that they are doing.

“Why are they not doing that in Bauchi State? Why are they doing it in southern Nigeria? Those are the questions we should ask the governor. It is very unfortunate and it is a pity that Governor Bala Muhammed would make that kind of reckless and careless statement. It is sad and unfortunate.”

A security expert, Mr Jackson Lekan Ojo, said he was disturbed that a state governor could make that kind of statement.

“AK-47 is not a soft weapon, it is a sophisticated weapon and it cannot be registered for anybody for gaming or for personal protection.

“It is only the government security personnel alone that are allowed by law to use it.”

The Oluwo of Iwo, Osun State, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, said, “Anybody that is fueling war or crisis in Nigeria in any part of Nigeria should be taken by the DSS and arrested. We don’t want war; we want peace.

“Only security agents are allowed by law to carry guns.”

The Director of Legal Affairs, Yoruba Koya Leadership & Training Foundation (YKL&TF), Mr. Tayo Douglas, said the governor “never meant well with the statement credited to him.

“I believe the governor is aware that there’s a law in the country, that is, the Nigerian Firearms Act (1990) which provides that no person shall have in his possession or under his control any firearm or ammunition except such person has a licence from the President or from the Inspector General of Police.”