BREAKING: Reps Go Against FG’s Plan To Allow Firemen Bear Arms

The House of Representatives has voted against allowing firefighters to carry weapons, instead requesting that security services deploy operatives to accompany firefighters on duty.

The objection came after the plenary unanimously approved a motion headed “Call to Discourage Arming of Federal Fire Service Personnel” on Tuesday.

Thomas Ereyitomi, who moved the motion, drew the House’s attention to the Federal Government’s announcement that it would present a bill to the National Assembly repealing the Fire Service Act and granting firefighters the right to bear arms to protect them from mob attacks while performing their duties and responding to emergencies.

The news, according to Ereyitomi, has raised concern among the public due to the reckless use of guns by individuals who have been licensed to do so by their position as security agents, resulting in the death or serious injury of residents.

According to the congressman, the Federal Fire Service is a civil organization, not a security one, and thus it is “not reasonable” to allow personnel to carry firearms because they “do not require such weaponry to carry out their responsibilities.”

He claims that some mob attacks on firefighters are motivated by victims’ frustrations when firefighters arrive late and unprepared to handle situations.

Ereyitomi said, “The House believes that instead of creating an arms squad of the Federal Fire Service, adequate resources be channelled into improving the service delivery of the Federal Fire Service, including the provision of Fire hydrants in every local government area and updating the Global Positioning System service of the Federal Fire Service to locate emergency scenes swiftly.

“The House is worried that arming the Federal Fire Service would add to the growing concerns about the reckless use of arms by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, as doing so would be unnecessary and insensitive to the current pensive state of the nation.”

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Executive arm of government to increase the budgetary allocation of the Federal Fire Service to ensure that adequate infrastructure is put in place for efficient service delivery by the Service.

The House also urged the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps to “assign officers to the Federal Fire Service to accompany firefighters on emergency duties,” while mandating its Committee on Interior to liaise with the Committee on Appropriations to ensure adequate allocation to the Service in the 2022 budget and ensure proper oversight.

The Federal Government had said it would create an arm bearing unit to be known as ‘Fire Police’ to provide an armed outer cordon during operations, as part of the efforts to address the challenge often faced by firefighters during operations, through mob action and vandalism of firefighting assets in the country.

The Director of Press, Ministry of Interior, Mrs Blessing Lere-Adams, had in a statement issued on July 4, 2021, quoted the Minister of Interior and Chairman of Council, Rauf Aregbesola, as disclosing this during the opening ceremony of the National Council on Fire in Jos.

Aregbesola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, had said the ministry would initiate the process of repealing the 1963 obsolete Fire Service Act and enact a new contemporary, vibrant and enforceable law, through the instrument of an Executive Bill.

The bill, he said, would be forwarded to the National Assembly for deliberation and eventual passage into law.