Nigeria: Revisit the 1958 Firearms Act

23 January 2002
opinion

It is a well-known fact that arms and ammunition of various sophistications are being smuggled into the country on a daily basis. Some of the gun runners appre-hended admitted that it is a very lucrative enterprise, it then goes without saying that the vast majority of the "imported" arms fall into wrong hands.

Just the month of December, 2001. A Philanthropist in Ibadan was shot dead by assa-ssins. He was killed around 9.05 pm on his way to his residence. It was gathered that the assassins had trailed the deceased for some minutes but he was vigilant enough and speedily raced to his mansion: But at the entrance of his home there was a little delay in opening the gate and sensing danger, he quickly made a detour but was later caught up by his assailants, who killed him. The same month again we woke up to the terrible news of the killing of the country's chief law officer in his bedroom. If he was armed the story could have been different.

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