Solomon Dalung, a former minister of sports, talked about an interaction he had with a bandit on TikTok some time ago.
In an interview with News Central, Dalung claimed that when he questioned the bandit about why they were murdering people, he was told that vigilantes were also killing them and stealing their animals.
The bandit stated that this led them to resolve to stay in the jungle and take up arms, according to the former minister.
“I was on TikTok one day, a young bandit, trained in the bush,” he remarked. He described himself as a bush bandit. I then said to him, “Why do you kill people?” and he said, “Well, the vigilantes also killed them and took their cattle, so they took up arms and are now in the bush.”
“But you also kill fulanis like you and rustle their cows,” I added. “Look, the only Fulanis they know are the ones in the bush,” he told me. Everyone in the town is not a fulani. They will kill them if they see them.
According to Dalung, he questioned how to put an end to the practice of assaulting and disfiguring people. He claimed that in response, the bandit replied that they were open to discussions about giving up their guns.
“It was frightening how confidently he was speaking,” Dalung remarked.
He urged the National Assembly to change the constitution to allow Nigerians to carry weapons for self-defense.
