We Created The Monsters!” — Oshiomhole Exposes How Politicians Fuel Insecurity with AK-47s

Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has stated that 90 percent of Nigeria’s criminality problem would be solved if politicians stopped arming unemployed youths to disrupt elections.

The former Edo State Governor made this remark during Wednesday’s Senate plenary session, where he lamented the recurring trend of politicians distributing weapons during elections and failing to retrieve them afterward.

According to Oshiomhole, the surge in post-election criminal activities is directly linked to these firearms remaining in the hands of jobless youths.

He said, “One major issue we must urgently eliminate from our electoral process is violence. Elections should not resemble warfare, where young men and women wield AK-47 rifles to chase away opponents, security agents, or election officials.”

The lawmaker recalled a past meeting with then-Governor Seriake Dickson and Rotimi Amaechi, where he warned that only influential politicians could afford AK-47s, not ordinary citizens.

“I remember saying then that AK-47s are not sold like akara on the streets. If you ask the security agencies, they’ll tell you that violent crimes rise after elections because politicians who armed hungry youths during campaigns often fail to recover the weapons. These guns later become tools for robbery and other crimes,” he added.

Oshiomhole emphasized that democracy thrives only when elections are free, fair, and devoid of coercion, adding that true fulfillment in public service comes from being genuinely elected by the people, not through manipulation or violence.

He urged his colleagues to take a firm stand against electoral violence, saying:

“We, as senators and leaders, must pledge never to arm or sponsor unemployed people to disrupt elections. Once we make this moral commitment, the problem of criminality will be 90 percent solved.”

Oshiomhole also cautioned against holding presidential, governorship, and legislative elections on the same day and advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to guard against potential hacking threats in future polls.