February 13,(THEWILL) – The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has recommended to the inspector-general of police, IGP Usman Baba, to dismiss a police officer, Inspector Musa Audu, for handing over his rifle to Pastor Uche Aigbe of House on the Rock, Abuja.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Sadiq Abubakar, who made this known on Monday, said the command has grilled Pastor Aigbe, for carrying an AK-47 rifle during Sunday Service, in his church.
He said Inspector Audu and Pastor Aigbe were detained by the Intelligence Response Team, Force Intelligence Bureau, Garki, Abuja, on Monday, after interrogation, adding that they will be facing an orderly room trial
THEWILL earlier reported that Pastor Aigbe on Sunday, during his sermon, used the rifle to illustrate to his congregation the relevance of guarding one’s heart and faith against the vices of the wicked, whom he likened to bandits and kidnappers.
The pastor had preached for about an hour with the rifle and at intervals lifting it as he buttressed the crux of the sermon, ‘Faith For Endless Possibilities’.
“If you are guarding your heart, you are indirectly guarding your faith. We live in a time where we need to protect our faith against hoodlums, bandits, and wicked people who seek to subvert the faith of God in our lives so that they can stop what God wants to do. I came prepared because I need to guard your faith because I need to guard my faith”, he said during the sermon.
Force PRO, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi in a tweet, said the AK-47 rifle falls under the prohibited firearms in Nigeria and only certain law enforcement officers are allowed to carry it.
THEWILL reports that Part II, Section Three of the Firearms Act States: “No person shall have in his possession or under his control any firearm of one of the categories specified in Part I of the Schedule to this Act (in this Act referred to as a “prohibited firearm”) except by a licence granted by the President acting in his discretion.”
Part VII, Section 27 Section (1) (a)(i) and Sub session (b(i) of the Act also outlined the penalties of such an action that states:
(1) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this Act specified in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this section, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction-
(a) As to any offences under any of the following-
(i) Section 3 of this Act, (which prohibits the possession or control of firearms or certain categories); to a minimum sentence of ten years
(b) As to any offences under any of the following-
(i) section 4 of this Act, (which restricts the possession or control of personal firearms); to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.
