Police implore illegal gun owners to willingly surrender them

The police in Osun have called on iilegal gun owners to voluntarily surrender them at the nearest Divisional Police Headquarters. This is contained in a statement issued by SP Yemisi Opalola,  Osun Police Spokesperson. Opalola explained that the move was in compliance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokunb aimed at addressing proliferation of firearms. ”There is no punitive measures attached to the submission of the firearms. No one will be arrested or detained,” she said. NAN reports that on Aug. 8, Egbetokun, said the police has stopped giving licences for small arms in the country. ”We are mopping up arms in circulation. There are too many arms in circulation and if we continue to issue licenses on arms, we may continue to aggravate the problems we are trying to solve. “For now, there is temporary ban on issuance of firearms. We May review it later, but we are not issueing firearms licenses nationwide now.” The Firearm Act has been responsible for the control of firearms in Nigeria for the past years. The Act provides that no person shall have in his possession or under his control, any firearm or ammunition except such person has a license from the President or the Inspector General of Police. NAN reports that Egbetokun also announced the establishment of an ad hoc committee tasked with the comprehensive review of firearms licencing and regulations by the Nigeria Police Force in line with the Firearms Act and other extant laws, in the interest of public safety and general security. The committee’s mandate includes a thorough assessment of current firearms licensing procedures and regulations, with the aim of enhancing their effectiveness, transparency, and accountability.  (NAN)