A rights group, International Society For Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety has stated that illicit small arms circulating in the country is responsible for the high rate of crime.
The group in a press release made available to LEADERSHIP in Awka said that over 300,000 illicit small arms are circulating in the wrong hands in Anambra State, and that this represent six percent of the entire illicit small arms in circulation in the country.
The release signed by its Board of Trustee (BOT) chairman, Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi stated that, one out of every 20 Anambra State residents owns and uses illicit small arms. He attributed this to the high number of vigilante groups in the state who are fed arms by Onitsha arms black markets.
It continued that the proliferation of armed vigilantes and illicit small arms in Anambra State and Nigeria is a time bomb.
“Today, the number of armed vigilante groups in Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria, both registered and unregistered, is still swelling, reaching over 1000 uncoordinated groups.
“The government of Peter Obi is not helping matters too, as it may have carried out its planned recruitment of more 5,240 armed vigilante operatives who will tomorrow become assassins, kidnappers and armed robbers.”