TheCable

A bill seeking to enable the production of firearms by the private sector has passed second reading at the house of representatives. 

The proposed legislation which is sponsored by Adejoro Adeogun, a lawmaker from Ondo state, also seeks to amend some sections of the firearms act 2004 to provide “stricter” requirements for ownership of firearms.

Section 22 of the firearms act prohibits the private production and repair of firearms or ammunition “except at a public armoury or at arsenals established for the purposes of the armed forces with the consent of the President, acting in his discretion”.

But Adeogun wants the section to be amended to provide for the “registration and licensing of businesses” to manufacture and repair firearms in the country.

Adeogun said the spokesperson of the Nigeria police recently confirmed that the local weapons produced in the country are as effective as the ones being imported.

“A couple of weeks ago, the spokesman of the Nigeria Police led the parade of some suspects who were arrested for illicit manufacturing of AK 47 rifles. The spokesman emphasised that the locally fabricated weapons were as effective as the original ones imported from Russia,” he said.

“When this situation is juxtaposed with the perennial complaint of our troops in the north-east about inadequate weaponry, one is forced to ask why we have failed to mainstream domestic production of weapons to address the shortfall of weaponry among the security and law enforcement agencies.

“The existing Fire Arms Act does not allow for local production of firearms and light weapons by the private sector. In other words, the Nigerian business community is not allowed by law to participate in an industrial sector that grosses over Twenty (20) billion dollars annually. How can we promote innovation if we shut our people away from this sector? Should we continue to do that in the face of our economic challenges?

“By denying Nigerians the right to manufacture weapons we have inadvertently made our country dependent on other nations whose permission we must seek before we can obtain the tools needed by our security forces to combat security challenges.”

Adeogun said the smuggling of illicit weapons into the country “has shown that criminally minded people will do everything possible to get the tools of their trade, hence denying our nation the economic benefits of local production”.

The lawmakers voted in favour of the bill when it was put to a voice vote by Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house.