Unilateral Disarmament vs Bilateral Disarmament; The Undeclared Debate.

On February 22, 2021, in a piece titled, "Dr. Sheikh Gumi with Kidnappers and Bandits: The Sins and Repercussions of Illiteracy in Northern Nigeria and the Way Forward.," I wrote, "Let the change start from your neck of the wood because your sins are legion. I am not demanding a unilateral disarmament kind of initiative here, but you must first disarm and reject open grazing."

However, on February 24, 2021, in a short piece I titled "Nigerian Security Meltdown and the Exigency of a Unilateral Disarmament," I wrote, "Enough of the persecution complex and covert narcissism of the Miyetti Allah/MACBAN. President Buhari can enforce the articulated measures through Executive Orders in a minute. It is called leadership. And it is called unilateral disarmament."

I had my reasons. If the Herders and Bandits were not armed and killing indiscriminately, there would not have been any need for armed local vigilantes in our communities. Listening to this lecture a few hours ago, the Professor who is accompanying Dr. Gumi on his meetings with the Bandits, demands a Bilatareal Disarmament and argued against Unilateral Disarmament. He believes that bandits were forced to bear arms to be able to defend themselves and their herds whenever they were attacked by cattle rustlers. 

That may be true in Zamfara and Katsina States. However, in the Middle-Belt, West, South-South, South-East, and Mid-west it is a different story. The fighting warriors or killer herders are armed to kill any landowner who dares to protest against the vandalism of the Herders, and if possible, dispossess the native landowners of their farmlands and take possession.  So, my demands for the Unilateral Disarmament or unconditional disarmament of kidnappers and killer herders in the Middle Belt and the entire South remain unchanged.