Don’t ask for what you do not have power to acquire – Defence Chief warns Governor Ortom over request to procure AK-47

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor has warned Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue, after he gave the Buhari-led administration a one-month deadline to approve his request to obtain an AK-47 licence or see him seek counsel from his people on the best course of action.

Irabor who fielded questions from journalists after the National Security Council meeting today October 14, said no state has the power to procure automatic weapons for its security outfits.

He stated that the licence for the procurement of automatic weapons, such as AK-47, lies with the agencies of the federal government.

Irabor said;

“Firearms fall into two major categories. You have the automatic weapons and the ones that we may classify as non-automatic weapons, which some of you may even have if you have the appropriate licences — talking about the pump action which are the very common ones, and sometimes even the dane guns some of the hunters use.

“What is involved in the class mentioned has to do with automatic weapons. There’s no state that has been given licence for that.

“So, you do not ask for what you do not have power to acquire.”