Former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, has accused the Nigerian government of treating terrorists like “celebrities” during peace meetings while leaving ordinary citizens defenseless against violent attacks.
In a strongly worded statement shared on his Facebook page on Wednesday, titled “Beyond State Police: The Urgent Case for Citizens’ Right to Bear Arms,” Dalung declared that Nigeria’s centralized security system had collapsed, exposing citizens to bandits, terrorists, and violent criminals armed with sophisticated weapons.
The former minister lamented that while armed groups openly display rifles, grenades, rocket launchers, and even drones at government-sponsored peace meetings—often in the presence of security operatives—ordinary Nigerians risk arrest and prosecution for possessing even the most basic tools of self-defense.
Dalung described this double standard as a dangerous injustice:
“Ordinary citizens cannot keep even a kitchen knife for protection without risking arrest and prosecution. Yet bandits and terrorists parade their weapons freely and are accorded VIP treatment. This system protects the violent and powerful while criminalizing the defenseless poor.”
He argued that the worsening insecurity requires urgent reforms beyond the current debate on state policing. According to him, Nigeria needs a comprehensive constitutional amendment that allows not only the establishment of state, local government, and community police, but also the legal right for citizens to bear arms in self-defense.
Dalung further accused those opposing state policing and citizens’ right to bear arms of dishonesty, alleging that many benefit from the failed system or protect terrorist financiers who remain untouchable.
Citing the U.S. as an example of a layered policing system, he urged Nigeria to adopt a similar structure to restore security and public trust.
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