Former Labour Party governorship candidate in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (GRV), has called on the federal government to begin licensing firearms to law-abiding citizens, saying self-defence has become inevitable due to the state’s failure to protect lives and property.Speaking Monday on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, the architect-turned-politician who recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said insecurity has spread far beyond the north-east and north-west.“This is no longer a northern problem. Over the weekend we saw abductions in Kwara and Ogun states. When institutions collapse and people lose trust in the police, the judiciary and even the military, citizens have no choice but to protect themselves,” GRV said.He argued that it would be “wicked” for any government to expect unarmed citizens to remain helpless in the face of terrorists and bandits.“If the military leaves a community and terrorists move in the same day to kidnap and kill, people will have to defend themselves. If the government cannot sit up and fulfil its constitutional duty to secure lives and property, then it must consider licensing firearms for responsible citizens,” he stated.Rhodes-Vivour accused the Tinubu administration of prioritising 2027 election calculations over the immediate safety of Nigerians and showing little regard for human life.“The obsession with the next election instead of protecting lives today has created a credibility crisis. Negotiating with bandits is unsustainable and sends the wrong signal,” he added.He challenged the government to explain how many more Nigerians must die before decisive action is taken, insisting that the current approach to security has completely broken public trust.
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