By: PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
An Ibiono Ibom High Court in Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday, sentenced a 38-year-old hunter to 10 years in prison for illegal possession of firearms.
Edet Akpan George, a married man with eight children, was convicted by Justice Okon Okon, having found him guilty of being in possession of firearms, contrary to Section 3(1) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, Laws of the Federation 2004.
The section provides that “any person having a firearm in his possession or under his control in contravention of the Firearms Act shall upon conviction, be sentenced to a fine of N20,000 or to imprisonment for a period of not less than 10 years or both.”
Justice Okon said the convict in his evidence in court, “did not deny that he had guns but rather, gave evidence of what he used the guns, which he inherited from his father for.”
He said the convict who “admitted that he had two guns and a bullet, saw nothing wrong having guns as a trained and professional member of the association of hunters with identity card and certificate of participation in training programmes conducted in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force.”
The Judge stated that “the accused person appeared to the court to be a man of truth who obviously laboured under the false belief that he was entitled to own and possess guns without the need for license being a professional hunter involved in community policing.”
The court held that “ignorance of the law is no excuse in Law. The accused person is sentenced to 10 years imprisonment or N20,000 fine.”
The court further held that “the prosecution has by a largely uncontroverted evidence, proved beyond reasonable doubt, the essential ingredients of the offense of illegal possession of firearms against the accused.”
Justice Okon said, “the offense of illegal possession of firearms is a strict liability and the burden is on the accused to prove that his possession of the firearms was lawful by producing the license that allowed him to have possession of the firearms.”
The convict was arrested by Police officers on 18th September, 2019 upon allegation of being in possession of two locally made single-barrel guns and a live cartridge without the necessary licence.
