The police commissioner in Lagos, CP, Idowu Owohunwa, disclosed that AK-47 rifles and other firearms were illegally manufactured in the state.
During the inauguration of the state’s Complaint Response Unit (CRU) by the acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, held in Ikeja on Wednesday, August 23, Owohunwa said there was an increasing local expertise in the fabrication of various types of firearms including replicas of foreign-made pistols, AK47 and other assault rifles.
He noted that other security threats in Lagos included armed robbery, kidnapping, murder and sexual and gender-based violence.
His words: “We are also constantly confronted with the challenge of dissecting and dealing with the thin line between the civil and criminal dynamics of land disputes, which are also prevalent in the state.
“Also of routine concern is the traffic gridlock and the attendant occasional traffic robberies, which are compounded by ongoing road projects across the state, including, in particular, the Lagos-Ibadan highway.
“The crime profile of the state is further accentuated by the prevalence of illegal firearms proliferation and illicit drug abuse and trafficking.
“Hardly does a day pass by without the ever vigilant operatives of the command recovering weapons and illicit drugs of various descriptions at stop and search points, raids of black spots, and other operational engagements with all such recoveries linked to the perfection of crimes across the state.
“Most worrisome in all these is a noticeable trend that indicates increasing local expertise in the fabrication of various types of firearms, including replicas of foreign-made pistols, AK47s and other assault rifles.
“This trend, coupled with the threat of cultism, poses a potent danger to the security space of Lagos State and if nothing drastic is done by all strategic State actors and the citizens to complement the efforts of the Police in rolling back the dangerous tide.”
