Governor Rotimi Akeredolu insists that the government should approve the procurement of sophisticated weapon for the Amotekun corps in Ondo state. Though the presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu in a statement on September 28, said President Muhammadu Buhari had repeatedly made it clear that nobody was allowed to illegally carry AK-47 or any other automatic weapons and that they must surrender them.
On Monday, the governor expressed his commitment to equipping Amotekun for the effective operation of the corps in securing the lives and property of the people of the region. He said the denial of the right of the local security group to bear arms to protect the people of the state violated the tenet of federalism.
He added that in the face of worsening insecurity across Nigeria, security outfits must be allowed to carry live ammunition to challenge bandits who inflict pain on innocent citizens. He clears the air on the presidency’s reluctance to permit the use of arms “can no longer be plausible in the face of increasing security challenges being faced by the people of Ondo state”.
If the possession and use of automatic weapons is illegal in the country, then who gave Katsina vigilantes AK-47? Akeredolu Ask.
