A senator representing Osun East, Francis Fadahunsi, has urged the National Assembly to enact legislation allowing responsible Nigerians to bear arms amid the nation’s escalating security challenges.
A video obtained by Hobnob News shows the All Progressives Congress lawmaker making the call during plenary, arguing that Nigeria must reconsider its security approach as criminal attacks worsen across several states.
Fadahunsi noted that more than 120 countries permit citizens to legally bear arms, insisting that Nigeria should follow suit to empower law-abiding individuals to defend themselves.
“We are almost at a military rule, and we are at war. The President is the Commander-in-Chief because the military listens to him. Today, about 120 countries have legalised carrying arms. I think it is time for Nigeria to allow us to carry arms,” he said.
According to him, allowing vetted citizens to own firearms would help counter criminal groups who often outgun security operatives.
“If the elite and a few responsible citizens carry guns, it will be war against these criminals, and they will run because they are not many,” he added.
The senator also called for tougher penalties for kidnappers and their collaborators, recommending the death penalty for both abductors and negotiators.
Fadahunsi further criticised the current defence structure, questioning the composition and leadership within the Ministry of Defence.
“The Minister of Defence is not a soldier or a retired general. The Minister of State is a businessman. The NSA is a retired policeman,” he said, adding that the military often dismisses civilians as “bloody civilians,” creating internal friction.
He urged President Bola Tinubu to review and overhaul the country’s military architecture, warning that failing to do so would render ongoing security spending ineffective.
His remarks come as Nigeria faces a frightening rise in mass abductions, including schoolchildren in Niger and Kebbi states, and continued farmer–herder clashes, especially in the North Central region.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has called on herders to end open grazing, surrender illegal weapons, and embrace ranching as the government’s new strategy to stem violent confrontations between farmers and herders.
The President said ranching offers a sustainable solution to the crisis, which has contributed to instability across several northern and central states.
