Iipumbu gives illegal gun owners 30 days to surrender weapons
Patience Makwele Illegal firearm owners have been given until 30 September to surrender their weapons without arrest or prosecution, with the Namibian Police Force warning that those who continue to possess unlicensed firearms and related materials after the amnesty will face prosecution. The warning was issued during the launch of the 2026 September Amnesty Month […]
Illegal firearm owners have been given until 30 September to surrender their weapons without arrest or prosecution, with the Namibian Police Force warning that those who continue to possess unlicensed firearms and related materials after the amnesty will face prosecution.
The warning was issued during the launch of the 2026 September Amnesty Month by safety and security minister Lucia Iipumbu on Wednesday at the Police National Headquarters in Windhoek.
The amnesty runs from 1 to 30 September and allows people in possession of unlicensed firearms, ammunition and armaments to voluntarily surrender them without facing arrest or prosecution.
Iipumbu said the protection would end when the amnesty period expires.
“Offenders will be apprehended and prosecuted, and we will seek convictions and appropriate sentences in terms of our national laws,” she said.
Acting Inspector-General of the Namibian Police Force, Major General Anne-Marie Nainda, said the initiative was intended to remove illegal and unwanted firearms from circulation before they could be used to cause harm.
“This is not about punishment; it is about prevention,” Nainda said.
She said designated police stations across the country would serve as safe points for the surrender of firearms and related materials.
The process would be confidential and free of charge, she said, assuring people who voluntarily hand in unlicensed weapons during the amnesty that they would not face legal consequences.
The amnesty comes as police continue to record firearm-related crimes.
Nainda said that between September 2025 and June 2026, police recorded 20 murder cases, 261 cases of robbery with aggravating circumstances, 176 cases of pointing a firearm, 88 cases of unauthorised possession of firearms, 170 cases of possession of arms and ammunition, and 94 cases of firearm theft.
“These statistics are a clear indication that crimes involving firearms are serious concerns for our society and the country in general,” Nainda said.
She urged people still in possession of illegal firearms, ammunition, armaments and related materials to use the amnesty period to surrender them at their nearest police station.
The latest campaign follows the surrender of 86 firearms and 3,197 rounds of ammunition during the 2025 September Amnesty Month, according to Iipumbu.
She described last year’s figures as evidence of citizens’ commitment to peace and security and growing trust between the state and the public.
Iipumbu urged citizens to build on last year’s results and surrender more illegal weapons during the 2026 amnesty.
“Amnesty Month is, therefore, a call to action, a call to every Namibian who may be in possession of an unlicensed firearm, ammunition, or explosives to surrender them voluntarily,” she said.
The September Amnesty Month forms part of the African Union’s “Silencing the Guns” initiative under Agenda 2063.
The AU declared September as Africa Amnesty Month in 2017, initially until 2020, before the period was extended to 2030 by the 14th Extraordinary Session of the Assembly on Silencing the Guns, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in December 2020.
Namibia subsequently approved September as an annual amnesty month for 10 years, from 2021 to 2030, subject to periodic review.
Iipumbu said the government remained concerned about the misuse of firearms in criminal activities, including gender-based violence, poaching and organised crime.
She called on government institutions, law enforcement agencies, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, traditional leaders, youth groups and the media to help raise awareness about the amnesty.
“Together, we must spread the message that an unlicensed gun is not a tool of protection, it is a threat to peace and security,” she said.
Nainda similarly called on political and community leaders, religious organisations, civil society and the media to support the campaign and encourage people to surrender illegal firearms.
The amnesty takes effect on 1 September and ends on 30 September, after which those who continue to possess unlicensed firearms, ammunition and armaments will no longer benefit from the amnesty.
