Former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has thrown his weight behind retired Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma’s renewed call for self-defence in the face of persistent killings across Plateau, Benue, and other northern states.
Danjuma, a former Minister of Defence, restated his position during a public event in Takum, Taraba State, over the weekend. The 85-year-old warned that the federal government had failed to adequately protect citizens.
“It is now very clear that the government alone cannot protect us. We must stand up and defend ourselves, our families, and our lands before these criminals overrun the entire country,” he declared.
Reacting to the comment, Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State expressed strong reservations. Speaking on Channels Television on Monday, Namadi described Danjuma’s position as “a recipe for anarchy.”
However, Sani, in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, expressed support for Danjuma’s stance, arguing that communities have a right to defend themselves in the absence of adequate security.
“Self-defence: TY Danjuma only repeated what many have earlier said,” Sani wrote. “People shouldn’t just fold their arms and be slaughtered by bandits. What then is the meaning of the popular phrase that ‘security is a collective responsibility’?”
