Major-General Elias Njoku (rtd), the Interim Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Association of Licensed Private Security Practitioners of Nigeria (ALPSAN), has firmly stated that, notwithstanding the worsening insecurity, rampant banditry, terrorism, and the constant kidnappings plaguing innocent Nigerians, the country is not yet mature enough to permit private citizens to carry firearms for self-defense.
According to Njoku, the country is yet to recover from the menace caused by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which are fallouts of the insecurity ravaging parts of the country.
Speaking in Abuja yesterday alongside members of his interim committee, retired Major-General Elias Njoku firmly pushed back against growing calls for ordinary Nigerians to be licensed to carry guns.
“People demanding that private citizens be allowed to bear arms are only reacting to the heat of the moment,” Njoku said. “They haven’t considered the dangerous long-term consequences. Nigeria has simply not reached that level of maturity yet.”
He pointed out that even licensed private security companies under ALPSAN are currently prohibited from carrying firearms. “There is a proper process that must be followed and the right conditions created before that can ever happen,” he stressed.
Drawing comparisons with other countries, Njoku noted: “In places like South Africa, Dubai, Gambia, and Kenya where private guards are armed, they don’t face the same kind of asymmetric warfare we are battling here. Over there, the enemy is clearly defined; here, the threat can come from anywhere.”
He outlined the immediate priorities: “First, we must deepen collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), upgrade training standards across the board, and put the right structures in place.”
Njoku revealed that ALPSAN teams have already visited Kenya, Gambia, and South Africa to study their models, but insisted any change in Nigeria must be gradual and carefully managed.
“Because of our peculiar security environment, everything has to be done in full partnership with the NSCDC and the Ministry of Interior,” he explained. “A joint committee is already working on recommendations, and a pilot scheme may eventually be rolled out.”
For now, the retired general was unequivocal: “No private security operative is permitted to bear arms today. But in the near future, Nigerians will witness a complete transformation in the private security landscape.”
