“Let us defend ourselves”: Why Nigerian farmers embrace U.S. Congress call to bear arms against bandits and herders

Following a U.S. Congress recommendation that Nigerian farmers be allowed to carry arms for self-defense against violent herders and bandits—after President Trump re-designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern over persistent terrorist killings—Middle Belt leaders, farming associations, and agricultural communities have enthusiastically endorsed the proposal, though some experts warn that arming civilians could escalate violence and advocate instead for state policing and improved intelligence gathering.

by Nij Martin

On October 31 last year, US President Donald Trump re-designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC, following persistent killings of residents by terrorists. Trump followed this up by mandating US Congressman Riley Moore and the House Appropriations Committee Chairman, Tom Cole, to lead a comprehensive investigation into the alleged killings by terrorists and the security challenges plaguing Nigeria. The Rep Panel, which submitted its detailed report to President Trump last Monday, recommended measures to end the killings, including the “removal of Fulani militias from confiscated, productive farmland and enable the voluntary return of displaced communities to their homes.”

Most significantly, the panel recommended “technical support to the government of Nigeria to reduce and then eliminate violence from armed Fulani militias, including a demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration programme to address illicit weapons and support safer communities while allowing farmers to engage in legitimate self-defence.” This recommendation excited farmers across the country who have suffered heavy casualties arising from persistent clashes with armed herdsmen who grazed their cattle on farmers’ farmlands. However, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria does not expressly provide citizens the right to bear arms. Instead, firearm possession is strictly regulated by the Firearms Act Cap F28 LFN 2004, which prohibits unlicensed possession, classifying it as a criminal offense.

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) and Mzough U Tiv (MUT) Worldwide have enthusiastically endorsed the U.S. Congress recommendation. National President of the MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu, said the organisation had long advocated for the legal right of Nigerians to bear arms due to rising insecurity. “We advocate that all Nigerians should be free, like Americans, to bear arms. Communities should not remain defenseless while attackers operate freely. If the person coming to kill you, who has not been disarmed, is free to move around the country all this while, then we should be allowed to have arms,” Dr. Pogu said.

However, he acknowledged a practical challenge: “The problem is that even if that is allowed, people do not have the resources to acquire arms. So we come back to the organised structure we have been talking about. Let local government police be established. Let state police be established. Decentralised policing would ensure that communities become the first line of defence in the event of attacks.” The President General of Mzough U Tiv Worldwide, Chief Iorbee Ihagh, also threw his weight behind the recommendation, stating: “I am 100 percent in agreement with the recommendation of the U.S. Congress. Our farmers should be allowed to carry arms to protect themselves.”

Former South East chairman of the Cassava Producers Association of Nigeria, Philip Ajomuiwe, described the recommendation as timely and necessary, citing repeated attacks on farmers and destruction of farmlands without consequences. “It is a very welcome recommendation. Farmers are being kidnapped, killed and their farms destroyed by criminal herdsmen who simply walk away. If this continues, how do we feed the nation? I had more than five hectares of cassava worth over N5m at Ndiambe in Ozuitem. The herders drove their cattle into my farm and uprooted everything. That single attack wiped out my entire investment,” Ajomuiwe said, adding that “allowing licensed farmers and community vigilantes to bear arms, as done in developed countries, would deter attacks and restore confidence among rural producers.”

However, not everyone agrees with the proposal. A former Commissioner for Agriculture in Abia State, Chief Israel Amanze, warned against rushing into proposals that would allow Nigerians to bear arms, urging the Federal Government to first give state police time to work. “When you say allow farmers to bear arms, you are effectively saying allow all Nigerians to bear arms, because almost every Nigerian is a farmer in one way or another. That is a very worrisome development. It is practically a call for gun licences for everyone. I want to advocate one thing: give the government a little time to implement state police. If states are allowed to recruit their own police, secure their boundaries and comb their forests, let us see whether insecurity will reduce,” Amanze said.

Zainab Isah Arah of the Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria, Zamfara State Chapter, offered a sobering perspective from one of Nigeria’s most insecurity-ravaged states. “We appreciate the concern behind this suggestion. It shows that the suffering of farming communities in places like Zamfara is being noticed beyond our borders. For us, insecurity is not a theory or a debate. It is our daily reality. Many farmers in Zamfara have lost loved ones, been kidnapped, or watched their crops rot because it is too dangerous to go to the fields,” she said. However, she cautioned: “Zamfara already struggles with the widespread presence of weapons and organized armed groups. If not carefully managed within a clear legal and security framework, more arms in civilian hands could increase tension and lead to more violence. What we truly need is not to become fighters but to become farmers again, safely.”

Dr Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Director of the Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprises, argued for a different approach: “It is important we focus on intelligence. This is a responsibility to support both the vigilantes and the forest guards with quality equipment. And more importantly, we need to invest in intelligence because all this is reactive when the psyche does not respond. If you have good intelligence, you strike them before they even take off, you take the battle to them. You don’t wait for them to start attacking. The best way to deal with this thing is to have quality intelligence in all these locations, and the use of technology. You have drones, you have everything now that people are using. We need to invest in technology. For me, I don’t want this idea of people defending themselves.”

Sandra Victor-Gwafan, Co-founder of Kaduna-based DeBranch Farmers Ltd, offered a balanced assessment: “While empowering farmers to protect themselves may offer some immediate relief against attacks, it is not a comprehensive solution. Security is primarily a state responsibility, and arming civilians carries risks of misuse, escalation, and unintended conflict. This measure is not a panacea for ensuring farmers’ safe access to their farms. Root causes of rural insecurity, such as armed groups, weak policing, and poor infrastructure, must be addressed alongside any self-defense initiatives.”

The debate over arming Nigerian farmers reflects a deeper crisis: the state’s apparent inability to fulfill its primary responsibility of protecting its citizens. Whether the solution lies in legitimate self-defense, state policing, improved intelligence, or a combination of all three, one thing remains clear—Nigerian farmers cannot continue to be sitting ducks in their own farmlands while the nation’s food security hangs in the balance.