Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, on Friday said no Nigerian State Governor has the authority to acquire high calibre weapons for use by its quasi security/vigilante outfits.
General Irabor, who spoke while in company of the Ministers of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, after the National Security Council (NSC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, urged citizens to be weary and always read between the lines when certain requests were sought by Governors especially in matters of security.
His reaction came after Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State gave the Federal Government one month deadline 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.
But General 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 Nigerians 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 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.
In his contribution, 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.”
The Minister of Police Affairs, while speaking on the issue of application for the purchase of firearms, 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 sub-national 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.”