The 2023 Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has asked the Federal Government to consider issuing firearm licences to Nigerians if it cannot guarantee their safety amid the worsening wave of abductions across the country.
Rhodes-Vivour, who spoke on Monday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, said recent kidnappings of schoolchildren in Kebbi and Niger states, as well as the abduction of worshippers in Kwara State, show that citizens are increasingly vulnerable despite government assurances.
He warned that the government’s failure to live up to its constitutional responsibility has left Nigerians with “no alternative but to defend themselves.”
“This is not just about the North. Over the weekend, abductions happened in Kwara and Ogun States. When institutions are destroyed and public trust erodes, people lose faith in government,” he said.
“If people no longer believe the judiciary will give justice or that the police will protect lives, they must act. If terrorists move in the moment the military withdraws, then people must defend themselves. At some point, Nigerians will have to take a stand.”
Rhodes-Vivour argued that the social contract between citizens and government has broken down, insisting that government must “sit up or allow citizens to arm themselves responsibly.”
“If the government continues to fail, then it must start considering licensing firearms. You cannot withdraw protection from people and still deny them the right to defend themselves,” he stated.
The LP candidate also reacted to a recent comment by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who warned he would intervene “guns-a-blazing” in Nigeria if the government failed to contain terrorism.
Rhodes-Vivour described Trump’s remark as an indictment of Nigeria’s leadership.
“It is an absolute disgrace that a foreign president had to make that statement before our government woke up,” he said.
He urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to focus on intelligence gathering, improve military morale, and address alleged sabotage within the security architecture.
“We need less performative action and more real action — proper intelligence, identifying terrorism financiers, and understanding why terrorists are always a step ahead,” Rhodes-Vivour added.
He said it was shameful that Nigeria, despite its size and resources, appears unable to protect its citizens without external intervention.
Rhodes-Vivour noted that Nigerians have long resorted to self-help in other sectors due to government failures.
“People did not wait for government before buying generators or drilling boreholes. We are heading to that point in security too,” he said.
He insisted that while arming citizens is not the ideal solution, it may become inevitable if government continues to fail in its primary duty of protecting lives and property.
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