Nigerian Zanfala state officials said they would begin granting gun licenses to residents. Rare movements allow individuals to carry guns and protect themselves from gunners and rebels in the northern regions of troubled West African countries.
Armed groups that rob or abduct mortgages are common in the region.
Gunman recently killed eight people and kidnapped nearly 40 in two churches in Kaduna.
Nigerian security forces have been thinly stretched by violent attacks and a decade of war against Muslim rebels.
Zamfara Information Commissioner Ibrahim Dosara said in a statement that 500 licenses would be distributed to those who "want to get such a gun to protect themselves."
Some information in this report was provided by Associated Pressand Reuters.
