Should the federal government make guns available to more Nigerians?

It’s been popularly said that in Nigeria, when trouble appears, it’s every man for himself. You either run if you don’t have the capacity and strength to face your troubles or fight it all the same but don’t call your neighbor into the mix…yea!

In other words, if you are in trouble, you either face it or dance to the rhythm of the drum or you just die trying the following day, that if you succeed in escaping today.

I thought about it clearly when two weeks ago I was called by a former neighbor of mine in Warri who told me that a certain rich family in the hood was recently robbed by his 25years old son and now he is in prison.

How did it happen?  You might ask! 

It’s a common occurrence in Warri for thieves or armed robbers to operate almost every night in certain areas and that fateful day, luck ran out for this particular family who relocated to naija in the late 90s from overseas. Attempts have been made on that house before now, yielding no result because of some peculiar materials used in building the wall for safeguard. It dries you up upon touch. Now, there is always a sign to warn any trespasser of the impending danger at night but I guess as time went on with proper planning on the part of the thieves and laxity on the part of the household, the thieves gained success.

How???

During the years, friendship was built between the househelp and one of the thieves who appeared to the househelp like every young guy who is love struck with her beauty. He lured her one day into finding out if they still switch on the electric fence every night and the househelp told him unknowingly that the device needed repairs and maintenance and so it has not been in use for a while now.

And bammm.. there they had it… fun time!

That night, the cultist turned robbers consisting of five university boys paid an unwelcome visit to this family at 2am in the morning. They barged in and called out on all the family members to step out from their whereabouts and be summoned into the sitting room.

In view, two security men had been axed and fear was the aroma anyone could smell even from a distance.

Now you need to know that in the midst of this robbery, there were screams of helplessness and of help and pleadings for life to be spared but the next door neighbors did absolutely nothing.

And as always the case, when you hear a next door neighbor screaming for help, what you realize is that you immediately want to get up to protect your household by locking up perfectly and probably switching off all lights pleading the blood of Jesus all over your house so that you don’t become a victim too.

In that same vein, this family was left to their own fate, sadly!

The thieves stole every valuable items that needed to be stolen and then proceeded to rape three women including the mother of the house who is in her fifties in the presence of her husband and the full glare of her three young sons.

Her two young daughters were not spared as they too were raped. That would be their first time, seeing that they are in their teen ages.

Now pause….!

This Is where it gets a little interesting!

This woman has four sons and the fourth one whom they thought was in school was among the thieves who came to rob his family. He is the first son and one that you can term prodigal.

Why did he do this dastardly act against his very own?

  Because his father had disowned him for  reasons yet to be known to the public but then he wasn’t at any time denied his rights to proper education. After all, that is the best legacy a father can give even the worst child.

It wasn’t part of the plan for his mother and sisters to be raped but the others made that happen anyways. So, he saw how his sisters were raped and wanted desperately to shout at them but he couldn’t say a word because he knew that he would be figured out by the members of his family. Trust me, I was told that he confessed to have fought hard to restrain the thieves, yet they ignored him and capitalized on the knowledge that he wouldn’t dare give up his identity by speaking up.

It was when one of them who was presumed to be the head of the gang stepped in to rape his mother that he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

I guess at that point, he was ready to die for his mother. He raised his axe and cut deep into the leader’s back, neck and waist killing him in less than 10minutes. Right after that, he went into a shock and stood there transfixed.

When he came to, he realized that the rest of the crew had escaped leaving him and the dead thief plus his family to decipher what had transpired. It was 5:30am already and there wasn’t any way he could escape. The crew had driven off with the vehicle that they came in with.

He knew the implication of going back to school if he ever survived this ordeal, that he would be reciprocated that same favor he did to his dead leader. There was no going back unless he wanted to be killed.

In no time, the compound was surrounded by people and vigilante group. He had no choice but to remove his mask, only for the father to realize that it had been his son all along.

The vigilantes of the neighborhood grabbed him, beat him to pulp and the amazing thing was that in the midst of the traumatic experience, his mother couldn’t take it from the people beating her son and so she pleaded with her distraught husband to save her son by calling the police to arrest him; which he did.

Now I will stop here but the bottom line is why spring up into action when it became too late, that’s on the part of neighbors and vigilante group?

Why do neighbors hide themselves when there is a cry for help around the hood in times of robbery?

Now just like the US, would it be wrong if the federal government put into law that its citizen can purchase a registered gun just for the purpose of self defense, seeing that we don’t have our police force respond on time when there is need for urgent help?

Should the federal government make guns available to more Nigerians?

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