Northern group backs Zamfara Gov, Matawalle, on call for self-defence

The Arewa Development Forum for Peace and Justice (ADFPJ), a group from the North, has backed the governor of Zamfara State, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, in his appeal for locals to buy guns so they can protect themselves from robbers invading their villages.

In a statement released on Monday by its Executive Chairman, Alhaji Zubairu Mustafa, the group also urged governors in the North to take the same actions as Matawalle in establishing neighbourhood vigilante volunteers to support the work of local security agencies.

The Community Protection Guard (CPG), which Matawalle launched in Zamfara on Saturday, received special praise from the organisation, which said that any complaints of the security measures were unwarranted by individuals who did not want peace to return to the state and the North as a whole.

“For those who argue that allowing residents to defend themselves in self-defense against these invading bandits is wrong and hazardous, I ask: Who is supporting or approving those invading bandits to continue maiming and killing people in our area with AK-47s and other dangerous weapons?

“We are supporting any leader that seems to have agreed and made a clear and acceptable decision within the ambit of the law to bring lasting peace and security to the lives and property of citizens.

“Our leaders must act now or we continue to be a target of elimination by minority marauders going about with weapons against the majority.

“We urge other governors in the north to emulate Governor Bello Matawalle and set up community-based security outfits to compliment efforts by security agencies in their various states.”