Stop access to AK-47 by herders, governor urges Fed Govt
Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has called for the strict implementation of the gun control law by security agencies.
He said restricting unauthorised access to all firearms such as AK-47s will end incessant killings in the country.
The governor’s call followed the invasion of Eha-Amufu town in the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area of the state by armed herdsmen, who left deaths, ruins and injuries in their wake.
He spoke at a security meeting he summoned at the state government house, Enugu on Tuesday evening for the leaders of Eha-Amufu.
Ugwuanyi said it was not right for some unauthorised persons to wield arms to attack innocent and unarmed people in a country where a ban on all firearms and small guns was in place.
He said: “It doesn’t look right that some unauthorised persons go about with AK-47 rifles when others don’t have any.
“These armed bearing persons attack innocent persons unchallenged. I’m pained by these incessant attacks. The pain of my people is also my pain.
“What offence did the people of Eha-Amufu commit that they should be massacred like this?
“If people commit a crime, security agencies should track and punish such persons accordingly. Let the system do something and stop these attacks.
“It will take years for these people to recover from this carnage. These stories will be told to their children.
“You can imagine the influence this incident will have on the lives of the young people when they find themselves in leadership positions tomorrow.”
Ugwuanyi called on the people of the area to always report any aggression to the government for necessary action rather than taking the laws into their own hands.
He expressed happiness that the officials of the Department of State Security (DSS) in Enugu were already collaborating with their counterparts in Benue State to restrict access of armed herdsmen into Enugu State.
He also assured them that more security checkpoints would be established in the affected areas.
“If anything happens to your farms, report so that we handle them,” he said.