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The Kalashnikov is mainly used by criminal gangs in Nigeria
Photo: imago images / zm23
In the fight against terrorist gangs, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has issued an order to fire all illegal carriers of Kalashnikov assault rifles.
As Buhari's spokesman Femi Adesina said, the use of assault rifles was only allowed to security personnel in the West African country.
The most populous country in Africa is currently being shaken by a wave of child abductions following attacks on schools.
The automatic assault rifles with the official designation AK-47 are regarded as the standard weapon of the gangs.
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President Buhari targets Kalashnikov wearers
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
"We've closed our borders for several years, but daily intelligence reports show that those behind the kidnappings and murders are still not running out of guns and ammunition," he said.
It is considered likely that they came into the country from North Africa.
At an earlier security meeting in the Zamfara region in the north-west of the country, the number of gang members was estimated at around 30,000, while the military only comes to just under 10,000 soldiers.
The Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram as well as splinter groups and criminal gangs have been terrorizing northern Nigeria's population for years.
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hba / dpa