Arms Sales: Vigorous Control Instructed

The regions concerned are the Adamawa, Centre, Littoral, West, North West and South West.

Government is stepping up measures to tackle the upsurge in insecurity in the country perpetrated mostly by holders and users of locally fabricated and modern guns. The Minister of Territorial Administration who doubles as the Permanent Secretary of the National Security Council, Atanga Nji Paul in a press release issued on April 4, 2018 has banned the sale of arms in the Adamawa, Centre, Littoral, West, North West and South West Regions.

The regions concerned are notorious with regard to insecurity in most cases perpetrated by armed gangs and gunmen. Robbery using arms is recurrent in the West, Centre and Littoral Regions. In the Adamawa Region, public authorities are constantly on the field fighting highway robbery and abduction of livestock breeders and business person with the help of arms.

Secessionist fighters in the North West and South West Regions have multiplied running armed battles with the country’s security and defence forces using either locally fabricated or imported modern arms. After the Regional Governors’ Conference of December 2017, Cameroon’s 10 Regional Governors were instructed to ensure the rigorous implementation of Law N° 2016/015 of 14 December 2016 governing arms in the country. The implementation of the law, judging from the rising insecurity using arms must have been ineffective.

With the Minister of Territorial Administration’s instructions, much is expected to change in the six regions targeted and by extension the entire country. From April 4, 2018, holders of locally fabricated and modern guns who do not have licences have up to 30 days to submit the guns at local administrative offices that include Senior Divisional and Subdivisional Offices against a receipt.

Holders of guns with licences have to once more go through the identification process at the competent Governors, Senior Divisional and Subdivisional Offices. Minister Atanga Nji states that violators of the instructions would face administrative and penal sanctions in conformity with the laws in force.

Besides overseeing the submission of the guns and identification of their legal holders, the administrative authorities have been instructed to shut up all guns fabrication units in the six regions until further notice. They equally have to do an exhaustive inventory of stocks of arms and ammunitions in manufacturing units and orders placed. Government through the measure intends to curb the current circulation of arms that is largely above the legalised the number. This situation, constitutes a veritable threat to public order and security. The success of the prescribed operation in the six regions, the Minister said, would guarantee the security of people and their property nationwide .