BY MAYOWA SAMUEL
The Federal Government has reiterated its stance that no state governor has the authority to acquire high caliber weapons for use by quasi security outfits.
This was made known by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, in company of Ministers of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola and Police Affairs minister, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi were fielding questions from reporters on Friday, after the National Security Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The government officials were reacting to the one month deadline issued to the Federal Government by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State to approve his request to obtain an AK-47 licence or he would seek counsel from his people on the best course of action.
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State had earlier queried the granting of permission to the Kasina security outfit, whereas other state security outfits were denied to bear arms.
Responding, the CDS urged citizens to be weary and always read between the lines when certain requests were sought by governors.
Irabor said the deployment of high calibre weapons such as the AK-47 rifles among others lies strictly within the purview of the Federal government security agencies alone.
He said Nigerian journalists must be able to read between the lines when certain comments are made, to elicit certain reactions, as opposed to the reality with respect to what the security setting is.
General Irabor said AK-47 and “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 was mentioned has to do with automatic weapons. There’s no state that has been given licence for that.”
He added 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,” General Irabor stated.
Making his submission, Aregbesola dismissed the notion that governors also have 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!”
He explained the conditions precedent before licence to bear arms could be obtained for local use, but which, according to him, the governors had failed to meet.
“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 of such activity or act.”
On his part, the Minister of Police Affairs said, “government had made it categorically clear that it has not issued licence to any state government or to the 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 advised “those concerned to please follow the due process to ensure that they get the appropriate response of the federal government on the matter.”
