The House of Representatives has
resolved to invite Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed
Ali and the Director, Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura for questioning
over the recent illegal importation of a large cache of illegal arms into the
country.
They will also brief the
lawmakers on plans to address the menace of small arms and light weapons in the
country.
The resolution, which was made
yesterday at the Green Chambers of the National Assembly, was in a bid to curb
the influx of small arms and light weapons into the country.
It is coming at a time when the
Customs seized 2,671 pump-action rifles smuggled into the country between
January and September this year.
One of the members of the House
from Anambra State, Obinna Chidoka, who sponsored the motion, said urgent steps
must be taken by the Federal Government to curb the trend.
Some of his colleagues Betty
Apiafi (River State), Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (Abia State), and Henry Ofongo
(Bayelsa State) supported the motion with their various contributions.
The House further urged the
Customs and the DSS, as well as the Office of the Attorney General of the
Federation, to speed up investigation into the shipment of arms and commence
prosecution of the culprits involved.
Meanwhile, lawmakers in the
Senate considered the same issue during plenary.
This is just as a bill seeking to
provide for the destruction of illegally imported firearms passed a second
reading at the Upper House.
The motion was sponsored by
Senator Gbolahan Dada of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ogun State.
Senate President Bukola Saraki
also supported the bill after which it was referred to the Senate Committee on
Judiciary Human Rights and Legal Matters.
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Good move!
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