The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi and the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Luck Irabor, have declared that the deployment of weapons such as AK-47 is strictly within the purview of the Federal Government’s security agencies.
They also said no state government or organisation has been issued licence to purchase firearms for subnational security measures.
Dingyadi and Irabor spoke at a media briefing attended by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, after a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
On the issue of application for the purchase of firearms, the Minister of Police Affairs said: “Government has made it categorically clear that it has not issued licence to any state government or organisation to purchase firearms for subnational security measures.
“So, for anybody to say he has given timeline for the federal government to issue you licence, I think he should know that there are due process that one should follow to secure such licences.”
Dingyadi, however, advised state government or organization to follow due process in ensuring that they get the appropriate “response” of the federal government on the matter.
On his part, Irabor said no state governor has the right to purchase high calibre weaponry for use by quasi-security organizations under their control.
Persecondnews also recalls that Benue Gov. Samuel Ortom had claimed that he had applied for an AK-47 rifle licence without approval of the federal government.
Ortom on Thursday at the passing out procession of the second batch of the State Volunteer Community Guards at IBB Square in Makurdi, the state capital, gave the federal government one-month deadline to grant his request or he will “consult his people” on the next and best course of action.
In the same vein, Ondo Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu had faulted the Presidency for denying the state security outfit — Amotekun Corps permission to bear arms while it allegedly granted Katsina State local security outfit right to carry arms.
Irabor said Nigerians particularly journalists should be able to read between the lines when certain comments are made as opposed to the reality.
“Firearms fall into two major categories. You have the automatic weapons and the ones that we may classify as non-automatic weapons which some of you may even have if you have the appropriate licences.
“Talking about the Pump Action which is the very common ones, and sometimes even the dane guns some of the hunters use.
“What is involved in the class that mentioned has to do with automatic weapons. There’s no state that has been given licence for that,” he declared, adding that the sole responsibility of licencing lies with the federal government agencies and also to be used by government security agencies and not quasi security forces.
“So, you do not ask for what you do not have power to acquire.”
Interior Minister Aregbesola also disagreed that the governors had powers to procure fire arms for their local security outfits.
“No state government has been empowered to arm any of his security operatives or agency. None.
“So, the false claim that the state government is empowered by the federal government to have his own vigilante or sub national security outfit is false, absolute false.
“There is a procedure for whoever wants to legally bring in any weapon to follow. And whoever is authorised by the law of the land, to bring in legitimate ammunition, including the army, must go through that process.
“So, whoever wants to import ammunition, armarment or weapons is advised to go through the legitimate process,” the former Osun governor said.
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