Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Reps Ask Buhari to Rescind Executive Order Retrieving All Gun Licences

MEMBERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AT A SPECIAL SITTING TO MARK END OF THE 2ND YEAR OF THE 7TH ASSEMBLY IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY (6/6/13).

The house of representatives has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rescind an executive order mopping up guns with private individuals.

The lower legislative chamber made the call on Thursday after adopting a motion seeking to revoke the “executive order to remove, revoke and banish all firearms certificates and licences throughout the federation”.

It said mopping up the guns would expose citizens to dangers and deny them self defense.

Nnenna Ukeje from Abia state, who sponsored the motion, said Buhari recently signed the executive order that is to take effect on June 1, 2019.

TheCable could not immediately confirm the contents of the order as Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu, presidential spokespersons, were not reachable when this report was filed.

According to Ukeje, while there is need for gun control, withdrawing legal guns would mean “only illegal guns will be in circulation and only criminals will own guns.”

“One would have thought that government position will be to domesticate international conventions that have proven around the world to be effective in curbing proliferation small arms and light weapons,” she said.

Most of the lawmakers also agreed with Ukeje’s submission as they argued there should be clear provisions for getting a gun licence rather than retrieving all the ones granted.

Alexander Adekola from Ekiti state said the executive order will make Nigerians vulnerable to attack.

“This executive order is to make everybody in Nigeria vulnerable. Are they saying people use them to kidnap or kill? No. It is the kidnappers and armed robbers that are using it without licence,” he said.

Simon Arabo from Kaduna state argued that “you cannot use an executive order to override a lawfully acquired weapon.”

According to him, “if most of the weapons are being used illegally, it is for the security to go and tackle that. Not for people who have theirs legally. I think that executive order if it has been signed, should be overwritten.”

Mojeed Alabi from Osun state, however, supported mopping up the guns on the ground that the police “has no clear criteria for issuing a gun licence” in Nigeria “except you want to give them money.”

“So people take guns without any procedure visible to all of us. If the police do not have a full regulations guiding ownership or acquisition of guns, then I will advise they be withdrawn,” he said.

“The procedure is wrong and because of that, the president is right to say they withdraw it. Let them come up with regulations.”

The lawmakers subsequently voted against the order and urged the president to withdraw it.

 

_______

Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng

Copyright 2019 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant source.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Related

News

Nigerians are still bearing the effects of the policies of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North Senatorial District, has said. Some...

News

Former Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, has disclosed that he had strained relationship with Abba Kyrari, the late Chief of Staff to former President Muhammadu...

News

Muhammadu Buhari, has said that he deliberately refused to release his West African Senior School Certificate (WASC) in 2015 when he took over power...

News

Femi Adesina, former spokesman to former President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that the president’s plane nearly crashed with him and his aides in November...

Copyright ©