The Federal Government has seized 1,500 double-barrelled guns imported by
the Zamfara State government for distribution to its vigilance group.
Sources close to the administration told Sunday Tribune that the inspector
General of Police had ordered the seizure of the guns said to have been
imported from Ukraine by the state government.
It was learnt that the Federal Government ordered the seizure of the guns
based on the alleged contravention of firearms laws of the land.
Sources, however, said that the Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari, is
unhappy with the development and was contemplating instituting legal action
against the police.
A source said that the governor felt betrayed by the police hierarchy, which
was said to have granted a silent approval to the state to import the arms.
It was, however, confirmed that no official clearance was received from the
president before the importation.
Investigations revealed that when the state was facing serious challenge
of armed robbery in 2012, the governor reached an agreement with the state
police commissioner on the need to set up a vigilance group. It was also
said that the meeting agreed that the vigilance groups should be armed.
The governor then decided to import double-barrelled guns which he
hoped would be licensed by the police.
A source said: “The governor ordered for 1,500 double-barrelled guns through
a dealer in Kano who got supplies from Ukraine.’
But the federal government had ordered the repatriation of the guns to Abuja
because there was no clearance to import them.
Another source said that the importation was done in a way to
tactically bypass the presidency because of the belief that individuals
can buy double-barrelled and apply for licence.
It was also gathered that the state government believed that the
Inspector-General of Police would give approval for the guns because he was an
indigene of the state who was also aware of the security challenges of the
state.
“Due to the brouhaha and outrage the issue generated and in
order to avoid a presidential hammer, the police had to follow the rules and
now the IG had ordered that the guns be taken to the Force Headquarters. They
were being taken to Abuja right now,” a source in the know said.
The Senate was last week involved in a near fisticuffs when two senators
engaged each other over a debate on the Zamfara vigilance issue.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the state governor was saddened by the
apparent betrayal and had vowed to take the federal government and the police
to court
