By Peter Usman
The Nigeria Police Force says it recovered 9,657 prohibited firearms and 26,994 ammunitions among other dangerous weapons from February 2018 to date from wrong hands including suspected militia and militants across the country in the ongoing mop- up operations.
The operations were carried out in line with the prohibited/illegal firearms and ammunition, specified under Chapter F.28 LFN 2004 Fire Arms Act.
Recovered by the police include, Artillery, Apparatus for the discharge of any explosives of gas diffusing projectile, Rocket weapons, Bombs and Grenades, Machine-Guns and Machine-Pistols.
A statement made available to journalists by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Jimoh Moshood reads “This operation which is still ongoing among other purposes
, is aimed at the full enforcement of the Firearms Act, mopping-up and recovery of all prohibited firearms and illegally acquired weapons
The Spokesman stated that the exercise would enable the Nigeria Police Force deal decisively with herders/farmers clashes, kidnappings, armed robbery, cattle rustling, militancy and terrorism in the country.
The statement reads in part, “The Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Idris, on 21st February, 2018 directed the Commissioners of Police of all the State Commands of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja and their Supervisory Assistant Inspectors General of Police of the twelve Zonal Commands in the country, and the Force Headquarters Joint Task Enforcement team to immediately commence simultaneously throughout the Country, the mopping-up, recovery of prohibited firearms, ammunition and weapons in the possession of all suspected Militias, Bandits, Armed Herdsmen and Farmers, Vigilante groups, Neighbourhood watch and other groups or Individual”
Meanwhile, $470,519,889.10 belonging to NNPC Brass/LNG Investment hidden in some commercial banks after the directives of the Federal Government on TS was also recovered.
N8, 807,264,834.96 monies belonging to NNPC Brass/LNG Investment that was not remitted to TSA account of the Federal Government and the some of N114, 290,000.00 in relation to the December 10th, 2016, national and state Assembly re-run elections in Rivers State of Nigeria was recovered from 23 INEC electoral officials.
“While the Firearms Mop-up Operations and the recovery of monetary/non-monetary assets of Government are still ongoing, the Nigeria Police Force therefore implores Members of the Public with useful information that will assist the Police to report via the following contacts: DIG Department of Operations: 08037025670, O/C IGP Special Investigation Panel: 08035891859, O/C IGP Monitoring Unit: 08032451594, O/C IGP Intelligence Response Team: 09098049333”
