The Kano Police Command said there is a rising tide of blacksmiths making dangerous weapons for criminals in the state.
The State Commissioner of Police Mohammed Gumel raised the alarm on Thursday at a media briefing where he made it known that blacksmiths are culpable in the high-crime rate bedevilling the state.
“You can see the various types of knives on display and anybody, who looks at these knives would know that they were not fabricated for domestic use but rather for committing violence on human beings.
“From the edges of the knives, they have the semblance of jackknives, only be used by officers of conventional services, comprising the military and the police.
“Currently, our artisans, blacksmiths are now producing these weapons without minding the consequences but all they know is to produce and sell them to criminals at give-away prices. Thereafter, the criminals arm themselves with the weapons, which they use to attack innocent citizens and kill if they refuse to surrender their property,” Gumel explained.
The police chief remarked that he is on a mission to stem the tide of crime in the state and as a result would meet with blacksmiths’ leadership to educate them on the negative consequences of their actions saying, “If a customer comes to you, it is mandatory for you to confirm his trade, whether he is a butcher and what he intends to do with the weapons that he is ordering to be fabricated for him.”
