Interior Minister Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka has announced a six-week temporary ban on the use of firearms during traditional celebrations.
According to the Interior Minister, the six-week temporary ban is in place regardless of whether the weapons are licensed or not.
Mubarak Muntaka asserted that the nationwide exercise forms part of a broader crackdown on gun violence, will run from December 1, 2025, to January 15, 2026.
Speaking to the nation on the initiative to declare a gun amnesty on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, the Minister of Interior announced, “Temporal ban on the use of firearms in traditional celebration, and this is something that is so important to us.
We’ve engaged all our regional ministers, and we’ve tasked our regional ministers to get all our regional house of chiefs and our opinion leaders to know, whilst this amnesty lasts, it doesn’t really matter whether what you have is licensed or not”.
He continued, “We just want to silence the gun in these six weeks, so during funerals, festivals, all the celebrations, we just don’t want to see any gun there, and we are putting in very vigorous measures. We don’t want to have any confrontation with any traditional authority. Please bear with us and let us be able to streamline these illicit arms that are in our hands.”
He further detailed, We all know that it is gunpowder that is usually used for these celebrations. Today, during these celebrations, you’ll see pump action, pistols and in some instances, we even see AK-47s and G3S being bundled at funerals and other ceremonies.
We are saying that during these six weeks, it doesn’t really matter whether it is gunpowder, whatever it is, please bear with us and observe the ban because we are going to enforce this vigorously,” he said.
Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka further announced a six-week amnesty window for the voluntary surrender of the illicit arms.
“To ensure lasting impact, the following measures will accompany the gun amnesty. A six-week amnesty window for voluntary surrender of the illicit arms, which is from the 1st of December to the 15th of January.
Suspension of issuing new firearms permits for importation and sales during this amnesty, so those who want to venture into the business and want to have a new license will have to wait until after this period”, he added.
Watch the video below:
Interior Minister, Hon. Muntaka Mubarak, has announced a six-week temporary ban on the use of firearms during traditional celebrations, regardless of whether the weapons are licensed or not. pic.twitter.com/85UVOidcoT
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) November 18, 2025