The Police Command in Oyo State has decried the rate at which unlicensed firearms are being used by some people in the state.

Police spokesman in the command, SP Olugbenga Fadeyi, in a statement issued on Tuesday in Ibadan said that the use of unlicensed firearms was against the executive order signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on May 22, 2019, revoking the right of private individuals’ licences on fire arms or short guns in Nigeria.

He said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nwachukwu Enwonwu, viewed the violation with grave concern.

Mr. Fadeyi said that some unscrupulous elements in the society had taken the liberty of masterminding inter-gang clashes towards looting and conducting other social vices, powered by the unlawful possession of firearms.

“The CP wishes to urge the people of Oyo State not to hesitate to assist the police in bringing such elements to book by giving timely and accurate information about any unauthorised person(s) or group of persons found in possession of firearms.

“The CP wishes to state emphatically that the buck of this load of correction and restoration of sanity lies in the hands of parents, stakeholders, religious leaders, leaders of thought and all in positions of influence.

“He, therefore, enjoined that all hands must be on deck towards educating the youths and wards alike to shun such dastardly acts, gradually turning the state in the opposite direction of peace and progress,” Mr. Fadeyi said.

He also quoted Mr. Enwonwu as saying that measures had been put in place to ensure that the menace of ‘jungle justice’ was nipped in the bud and lives and property protected.

The police spokesperson said that officers and men of the command had been motivated and encouraged to ensure effective discharge of their duties, adding that perpetrators of such acts would be made to face the full wrath of the law. 

NAN