Guns recovered by executive order are back in criminals’ hand – Monarch

The Jagunmolu of Somolu/Bariga Kingdom in Lagos State, Oba Gbolahan Timson, has raised concerns over how licensed firearms seized from lawful owners found their ways to the hands of criminals.

Oba Timson alleged that many of the weapons collected through an executive order have resurfaced in criminal hands across Lagos and parts of the South-West.

The monarch raised the concerns on Thursday in Lagos while speaking as the Royal Father of the Day at the 2025 Annual Lecture and Awards Ceremony of the Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria (CRAN) in Ikeja.

The royal father noted that although gun owners complied with the directive to surrender their weapons, the arms were neither returned, destroyed, nor properly accounted for by the security agencies.

According to him, firearms collected from individuals with valid five-year licenses were taken by divisional police offices to state commands, then to the office of the Inspector-General of Police, and eventually transferred to Abuja, a process he described as opaque.

“Those guns were seized not because they were unlicensed or used to commit crimes, but simply because an executive order was issued.

“Today, some of those guns have found their way back into Lagos in the wrong hands. They were not destroyed, and they were not returned. Yet they are now being used by people who never bought them or held any certification,” he alleged.

The royal father warned that the circulation of such weapons was worsening insecurity, enabling armed groups in communities to operate with impunity and intimidate residents.

He challenged crime reporters to investigate how licensed arms seized under the executive directive were diverted back into public spaces, insisting that accountability was necessary to curb the rising misuse of firearms.

“When licensed guns taken through official channels begin to appear with criminal elements, insecurity cannot be controlled. This is a matter that must be exposed and thoroughly probed,” he said.

In his keynote address, the Chairman on the occasion, Mr Akeem Osuolale,
warned that Nigeria’s continued reliance on manpower-heavy operations rather than modern surveillance tools and digital systems was undermining national security efforts.

He decried the deployment of large numbers of personnel to tasks that could be handled more efficiently through technology.

“Simple technology should be able to identify pressure points and deploy men where they are truly needed,” he said.

According to him, many countries have already embraced automated surveillance, real-time monitoring software, and AI-powered analysis—tools capable of detecting threats faster and more accurately.

He noted that Nigeria’s data management remains weak, allowing criminals such as kidnappers to operate freely.

Osuolale, who was represented by a legal practitoner, Bar Olayinka Sanni also faulted the country’s intelligence cycle, saying vital information too often fails to reach the right operatives on time.

“Innovation has gone so deep that simple tools can solve many of the security challenges we face,” he said.

The President of CRAN, Mr Olalekan Olabulo, who also highlighted the importance of technology in solving the nation’s mirage of security issues said in the about 30-years of existence of the Association, it has consistently discussed security issues and proffered some solutions.

He said, “The current security challenges facing the country require innovative and proactive approaches. Technology has revolutionized the way crimes are committed and investigated. It’s high time our security agencies tap into this potential.”

Olabulo highlighted the importance of surveillance systems, forensic analysis, and data analytics in modern policing, noting that the need for inter-agency collaboration and information sharing to combat transnational crimes.