Insecurity: ‘Acquire arms to defend yourselves,’ Emir of Argungu tells residents

By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi

Emir Alhaji Muhammad Samaila Mera of Argungu has urged residents of his emirate to legally acquire firearms for community protection amid ongoing bandit attacks.

During a meeting with district, village, and ward heads at his palace on Thursday, the Emir highlighted the need for intelligence sharing with security agencies and called for community vigilance against terrorists and criminal elements.

He suggested that communities could pool resources to purchase legally approved weapons for self‑defence. “If you acquire such weapons legally, make sure the bandits are aware that your community possesses the means to defend itself. This alone can serve as a deterrent and discourage attacks,” he said.

The Emir stressed that Islam does not condone passivity in the face of violence. “It is not right for a Muslim to remain passive while criminals kill people, kidnap innocent citizens, and rape our women. Be prepared to defend yourselves, your families, and your communities against any attack,” he added.

He lamented that many communities feel vulnerable because they lack defensive means. “When bandits attack, people start running, including village heads. This is happening because communities do not have adequate means of self‑defence,” he said.

Clarifying that he is not encouraging lawlessness, the Emir said he was advocating lawful self‑defence, noting that the security challenge has become too overwhelming for security agencies alone. He warned against ethnic violence and extrajudicial killings, stating, “I will not support anyone carrying arms to attack other ethnic groups or engage in unlawful killings. Many of the attacks we are witnessing today are reprisals. Therefore, I urge you not to carry out revenge attacks against innocent people. Every unlawful killing only breeds another cycle of revenge.”

The Emir noted that although many members of the Lakurawa group have left the area, they allegedly left behind armed bandits who continue to terrorise communities and maintain links with former collaborators.

He called on communities across the Argungu Emirate to remain vigilant, cooperate with security agencies, and uphold the fear of God in all their dealings.

This appeal follows a series of relentless attacks and kidnappings by terrorists across the country, which have heightened tensions.

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