The Minister of Defense, Bashir Magashi, is currently under fire on social media for telling Nigerians to stop being cowards and stand up against bandits.
Magashi made this statement at the National Assembly on Wednesday, February 17, while reacting to the abduction of staff and students of Government Science College in Niger state.
In his words,
“Is it (security issue) the responsibility of the military alone? We shouldn’t be cowards. It is the responsibility of everybody to be alert and ensure safety when necessary. We shouldn’t be cowards. Sometimes bandits come with about three rounds of ammunition and when they fire shots everybody will run. In our younger days, we stand to fight any form of aggression.
Why should people run away from minor, minor aggressions?
We should stand and face them. If these people know that the people have the competence and capability to defend themselves, they will run away”
Watch the video below,
Minister of Defence : Don’t be a coward, stay and fight the bandits pic.twitter.com/Dx2St8DEAj
— Terry Ikumi (@terryikumi) February 17, 2021
Nigerians were triggered by his statement and have taken to social media to express shock at the minister’s stance on the issue of banditry.
Some opined that the defence minister’s statement has shown that he is incompetent and unable to perform his duty. Others stated that it is wrong for the minister to ask unarmed citizens to face bandits armed with AK-47 and other ammunitions.
See some of the comments below,