The Nigerian Navy has accused members of the Chadian army of illegal sale of weapons to bandits and herdsmen.
According to the Nigerian Navy, these arms were donated to the country by some developed countries, but their broke soldiers sell the weapons when they are in need of cash.
Going further, the Navy claimed that these arms are compounding the fight against crimes in the country.
A representative of the Chief of Naval Staff, Commodore Jemila Abubakar, made the allegation when she represented Awwal Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff, at a public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence on the consideration of four security bills.
According to him, weapons donated by developed countries to neighbouring nations are compounding the security woes of the country.
He said, “I was in charge as a member of the fight against Boko Haram and I can tell you categorically here, I stand to be corrected, that some of these countries that we have borders with have no armoury."
“They do not have armoury. So most of their arms that are being donated by – I don’t want to be specific – the developed countries in the name of assisting us are compounding our problems in Nigeria because you find out that each average Chadian soldier has 20 to 30 arms underneath his bed. When he is broke, he brings it out and sells it for $30, $20. I am here, I am standing here, and I am saying it."
Meanwhile, Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina state says most bandits are of the Fulani ethnic stock as himself, adding that they speak Fulfulde and profess the same religious beliefs with him.
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He said many northerners might not like his revelation but maintained that his disclosure remains the truth.
He said: “They are the same people like me, who speak the same language like me, who profess the same religious beliefs like me.
“So, what we have here on ground are bandits; they are not aliens, they are people we know, they are people that have been living with us for hundreds of years."
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