Governors use private jets to import arms for 2015 – DG

The Director General, National Task force on Illegal Importation of Light Weapons and Small Arms, Osita Okereke, has made a stunning revelation on the reasons behind the increasing resort by state governors to buy or lease private jets.

The governors use these jets to build up arms ahead of the coming elections in 2015, the Director-General alleged.

He was speaking on Channels Television breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily on Monday.

'They (governors) take private jets abroad, purchase arms and land in their state -no security man has right to search or search him because it is a governor's item. You cannot stop, you cannot search them,.' he said.

Okereke was responding to questions about the  availability of arms in Zamfara state, where it was recently revealed that the  state Governor plans to arm vigilante groups within the state, to address its insecurity.

No one except members of armed is entitled to carry arms  in Nigeria unless properly lincensed by the Nigeria Police.

According to taskforce boss, the revelation from Zamfara is just the one we (the public) know.

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He said, 'There are many governors with so many arms in this country that the numbers of arms they are having is 'uncountable.

'There are so many of them in various states. These governors have brought in arms that are uncountable.

'We have marked so many states' but however failed to mention any of such state, saying 'it is a security matter.'

He traced huge amount of arms available in the country  to governors who arm hoodlums with the guns.

'There are millions of arms in Nigeria' he said, adding that they (Governors) are already arming ahead of 2015 general elections,' he said.

He appealed that the government should provide the task force on Illegal Importation of Light Weapons and Small Arms, with Police, Army and budgeted funds because 'we have informants all over the place and we need to pay them.'