Defend yourselves against bandits, Defence minister urges Nigerians

• NSA, service chiefs, IGP, ministers in Minna

Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd), has urged Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits who have turned kidnapping into a thriving business.

Magashi spoke against the backdrop of the abduction of 42 people, including pupils, from the Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to him, the bandits seem to be having a field day because they know people in communities they attack will not fight back.

The bandits numbering about 300 had staged attacks on the school and abducted

27 pupils, three workers and 12 family members of the kidnapped employees.

The Kagara abduction came barely two months after gunmen had invaded the Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, and abducted over 300 pupils, all of whom were subsequently freed about a week later from where they were being held in a forest in neighbouring Zamfara State.

President Muhammadu Buhari immediately ordered the security chiefs to recover the Kagara abductees.

The security chiefs, led by the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno; and Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed; his counterpart in the Ministry of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola; their colleague at the Ministry of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi; and the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, arrived in Minna, the Niger State capital, to supervise the rescue operations.

Already, the military has launched manhunt for the kidnappers with a view to recovering the victims.

The Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Bello, who gave more details on the abduction at a press conference in Minna, however, ruled out payment of ransom to the kidnappers.

He has also directed the immediate closure of boarding schools in three local government areas in the state to avoid a reoccurrence.

Magashi, while fielding questions from reporters in Abuja, urged Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits and stop being cowardly.

According to him, tackling the increasing insecurity in the country is the responsibility of all.

Reacting to the abduction of the Kagara pupils, Magashi said, “Well, is it the responsibility of the military alone? It is the responsibility of everybody to be alert and ensure safety when necessary. We shouldn’t be cowards. Sometimes the bandits come with about three rounds of ammunition and when they fire shots everybody will run.

“In our younger days, we (would) stand to fight any form of aggression. Why should people run away from minor aggression? We should stand and face them. If these people know that the people have the competence and capability to defend themselves, they will run away.”

The minister, however, said the government would protect the territorial integrity of the county and its people.

Despite canvassing that Nigerians should stand up to the bandits, Magashi opposed the clamour for the Federal Government to allow Nigerians to bear arms for self-defence.

He added that even in the developed country, they are still debating whether or not to continue or stop it.

On the nomination of the immediate-past service chiefs as ambassadors, Magashi said considering the efforts they put in for the country, especially when they came in 2015, they made the nation proud by capturing all the areas under the control of Boko Haram terrorists.