The Kano State Police Command has announced its intent to initiate a crackdown on blacksmiths involved in manufacturing weapons for criminals in the state.
Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Mohammed Gumel, revealed this plan during a press briefing where he discussed the police’s concerted efforts to dislodge hoodlums from Dala Hills in the Dala Local Government Area.
“You can see the various types of knives on display and anybody, who looks at these knives would know that they were not fabricated for domestic use but rather for committing violence on human beings.
“From the edges of the knives, they have the semblance of jackknives, only be used by officers of conventional services, comprising the military and the police.
“Currently, our artisans, blacksmiths are now producing these weapons without minding the consequences but all they know is to produce and sell them to criminals at give-away prices. Thereafter, the criminals arm themselves with the weapons, which they use to attack innocent citizens and kill if they refuse to surrender their property.”
The CP disclosed that he had sent an invitation to blacksmiths for dialogue, during which they would be educated on the dangers of fabricating weapons for members of the public.
“If a customer comes to you, it is mandatory for you to confirm his trade, whether he is a butcher and what he intends to do with the weapons that he is ordering to be fabricated for him,” the CP said.
Related story: FG orders clampdown on fabricators of local arms, weapons
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has ordered clampdown on local fabricators of arms and weapon towards containing the spread of illicit arms and ammunition.
The South West Zonal Coordinator of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) Mr Sola Akinlade, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
Akinlade said that the moves became necessary against the backdrop of the proliferation of small arms and weapons which he said has become a huge threat to the country’s security.