Killers of murderers are worth their weight in gold. Pity they are not the apple of the eye of civilised governments or the law. The death of six French civilians killed in Niger points out all too clearly the world’s impotence. The question on how to effectively get rid of political thugs has merely a theoretical appeal. In fact, the weapons the gunmen used were manufactured far away from Niger, and the gunmen learnt their trade from foreign experts.