*Self-Defence Is Constitutional, Bwala Tells Nigerians
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has declared that Nigerians possess a constitutionally guaranteed right to defend themselves against violent attackers, including through the use of lethal weapons, even as he maintained that the federal government remains committed to tackling the country’s worsening insecurity crisis.
Bwala made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, responding to a string of recent violent incidents that have deepened public anxiety over the state of security in Nigeria.
His comments were specifically prompted by two high-profile cases: the deadly attack on the Esiele community in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, and the abduction of teachers and pupils of LA Primary School, both of which have sparked widespread outrage and demands for government action.
“The constitution has guaranteed to every citizen of Nigeria the right to self-defence; you have the right to defend yourself,” Bwala stated. “When your right, my right, and that of my neighbour is put together, it becomes collective rights to defend ourselves and Nigerians have the right to defend themselves.”
He went further to assert that the deployment of lethal force in self-defence situations is backed by law. “If you come to my house to try to kill me, any lethal weapon I use to defend myself is guaranteed by the Constitution,” he said.
Bwala nonetheless drew a clear distinction between self-defence rights and the general possession of firearms, noting that weapon ownership remains strictly regulated under Nigerian law. “Nigerians don’t have the right to bear certain arms unless those arms are permitted but the collective people can come together to apply to the government for the right to coordinate themselves,” he clarified.
On the broader question of insecurity, the presidential aide acknowledged mounting public frustration but framed criminality as a challenge not unique to Nigeria. “Evil men operate anywhere in the world, no matter how tight you are as a government. You do your best and expect that with the help of God and collective participation of the people through collective intelligence, we will be able to put an end to it,” he said.
Bwala also acknowledged that citizens would continue to express grief and anger over recurring attacks. “No matter how we say that we are sorry and the incident happens again, people will complain, cry and mourn because it’s the lives of the Nigerian people that are taken away by the evil element. We will put an end to this as a people,” he said.
The presidential spokesman further drew a controversial link between election cycles and rising violence, suggesting that insecurity tends to escalate in pre-election periods. “Every eve of elections in Nigeria from 2014, 2018, 2022, and now 2026, you will see that crisis increases because of the idea of a crisis economy. A lot of people take advantage of that but the will and spirit of the collective people is what will put an end to this situation,” he said.
He also highlighted the contributions of local security structures, pointing to vigilante networks and paramilitary organisations operating in states like Borno as critical layers of community protection and intelligence gathering.