As part of measures to curb the rising insecurity in the country, Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, has said that members of the National Youth Service Corps should be allowed to undergo military training in order to know how to handle guns for self-defence.
The governor also said the duration of the youth scheme should be extended from one year to two years to allow sufficient training for the graduates.
He stated this on Wednesday night when he featured in Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’.
Ishaku, whose state is one of the North-East states affected by Boko Haram insurgency coupled with killings by armed militias, emphasised that citizens should be allowed to bear arms and defend themselves against their aggressors
The governor said, “When the security can’t protect you, then something in the alternative must come in, we must be practical. Train people, give them practical induction, let them know what to do.
“The NYSC I will say should be two years. One year for compulsory military training and the other year for the social works that they are doing now so that anybody who graduates as an NYSC person can know how to handle the gun and defend himself just as it is done in Israel, Lebanon and other places, you must engage your citizens to be proactive. When you cannot provide security, you must allow the people to protect themselves.”
