Ndalatando — Kwanza-Norte Province's deputy governor, Abreu Pereira da Silva, on Monday here exhorted chieftains, religious leaders and other entities to actively co-participate in the government's programme of disarming citizens in illegal possession of weapons.

The official was speaking to over 100 participants at the seminar on disarmament of citizens in illegal possession of fire-guns, whose process was officially opened in the country in March this year.

Abreu da Silva also called on citizens to voluntarily handover the weapons they own for the fact that their illegal possession "is an incentive to private justice and increases juvenile delinquency".

He said the society should work so that citizens hand voluntarily the weapons in illegal possession, so that nobody be forced to hand them over compulsorily and with additional court notification.

The seminar had the participation of police officers, magistrates, representatives of political parties, churches and non-governmental organisations.