The use of fireworks, also referred to as “Knockout” or “Banga,” is prohibited in Kogi State by Commissioner of Police Bethrand Onuoha.
While briefing members of the Command Management Team at the Command Headquarters in Lokoja, the Commissioner issued this directive, according to a statement emailed to reporters on Friday by SP William Ovye Aya, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO).
The police commissioner also revealed that certain criminal elements utilize fireworks to carry out horrible crimes; as a result, the command will not permit these criminal activities to continue in the state.
In the state, parents and guardians were urged by the Commissioner of Police to caution their children and wards against playing with knockouts, according to Aya. Officers were instructed to make arrests and bring charges against anyone who disobeyed this directive, he continued.
He continued, “The Commissioner of Police also issued a warning that any store owner in the state who supplies or sells fireworks (Banga) will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”
Aya stated that the Commissioner of Police further reassures the good people of Kogi State that the police, working in tandem with other security agencies, are always committed to ensuring the safety of life and property in the state, while encouraging law-abiding Kogites to volunteer information on any shop selling fireworks to the closest law enforcement agents.
The statement urged all law-abiding citizens to assist and cooperate by informing the closest security officers of any suspicious activity or items in their neighborhood so that they can be promptly addressed.
