By Paul Efong, Abuja
The National Taskforce to Combat Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunitions, Light, Chemical Weapons and monitoring of oil Pipeline vandalism(NATFORCE)and the President Importers Association of Nigeria(IMAN) Chief Dr.Osita Emmanuel Okereke, OON has commended President Mouhammed Buhari for signing into law the Executive Order which is aimed at removing, revoking, banishing all firearm or shotgun certificates or licenses from individuals in Nigeria.
Speaking with newsmen yesterday in his office in Abuja, Chief Okereke described as very timely such an Executive Order adding that its seek to revoke and banish all firearms or shortgun certificates and license across the country thereby creating a very conducive atmosphere for his organizations to operate with little or no challenges in making sure that all forms of illegal arms are wipe out in the country.
Speaking further, Okereke also emphasized the negative effect of arms proliferation in the society and in the country at large alleging that some states government have recruited and armed several security outfit just for political reasons, leading to several cases banditry and several other security challenges in the country.
According to Chief Okereke “many security agencies bearing arms could not and would not be the solution to Nigeria’s insecurity problems, many of such organizations are illegal and some have long been used by some politicians or highly placed in the society to perpetrate evil deed against perceived enemies”.
Speaking while reacting to questions fielded in by some reporters on the expected role of his organization he said “ with the new law now in place, we shall join hands with the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Police to enforce the law. It is now clear that anybody with firearms license or not must immediately hands them over to the police on or before May 31, else we shall swing into action and make sure that the law takes it cause”.
“This Executive Order is a first of its kind in this country, the president has firsthand information than anybody else in this country, look at the way insecurity has taken over everywhere, nobody is safe, nobody knows the next step to be taken by these unscrupulous elements and so. We commend the tenacity and courage of President Buhari in endorsing this Order because it is for everybody good, he acted on security reports available to him”.
