Fubara: Allowing Individuals Brandish Firearms is National Embarrassment

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminialayi Fubara, has frown at the unauthorised handling of firearms by some individuals in the society, stressing that the military ignoring such act was an embarrassment to the country.

Fubara wondered why the Nigerian military, has not considered it necessary to clamp down and bring to justice civilians, who had continued to maintain armed camps in some communities in the state, brandishing sophisticated firearms publicly.

The Rivers State governor, spoke yesterday, when the new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division, Nigeria Army, Major General Jamil Abdussalam, visited the Government House, Port Harcourt.

Fubara warned the visitor, “Don’t indulge in politics. Your predecessors, who indulged in politics here ended up badly. If you don’t listen and you engage, when we (Rivers people) finish our prayers, you will go with sickness.

“At this particular time, what is most critical is security. I know one of your roles is to complement police efforts on internal security, especially, when it concerns criminal activities. The army has capacity to combat this area of security.”

The governor disclosed how some civilians move freely with arms in a locality of the state, where the military maintained a camp, asserting that the development raised a red flag on the role of the army in the security of the state.

Fubara explained, “I feel very embarrassed that there is a camp somewhere in Degeme (Local Government Area). It’s a military base and civilians parade arms around there. Is it that our laws now allow individuals to brandish AK47s, that people can display these arms before military personnel and you don’t do anything about it?

“It is an insult to the state, to Federal Government of Nigeria. I don’t know where it is coming from, maybe you people allow it for a reason, but you look into it. Also, see what to do about the situation in the Elele axis. You also have a base there and we are always having challenge from people outside the state coming from that axis to cause problems.”

Abdussalam has however pledged the 6 Division’s support for the new Rivers administration’s and sought sustained support from the state in mutual trust for enhanced security.

“Rivers government has been supporting us on provision of fuel for our operations, provision of ration cash allowance for our personnel deployed and so many other assistance that cannot be quantified.

“I solicit more support for our troops in the field and to congratulate you on the giant stride made in such a short time with flag off of the Port Harcourt Ring Road project. We know even at federal government level, this project is gigantic,” he said.