By Kamil Opeyemi
The Nigeria Police has recovered 182 sophisticated arms and 430 ammunitions of various calibres across the nation in its efforts to tackle crimes from 16th of February till date.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the previous recovered arms have been handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
He said the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered all Commands and Formations to intensify efforts towards decimating the proliferation of illicit arms and ammunition in the country.
“The IGP has ordered the continuous mop-up of illicit arms and ammunition across the nation as part of efforts of the Force, as the lead agency in internal security management, to curb the trafficking of illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) within the country and mitigate any form of insecurity or threats to the ongoing electoral processes and general safety of Nigeria,” Adejobi said
Baba was said to have also extended additional human and logistic support to Commands and Formations across the country for effective election security management during the forthcoming governorship and state houses of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday 18th March, 2023.
“The additional support includes the deployment of personnel, operational vehicles, non-lethal weapons, personal protective equipment (body armour), anti-riot equipment, etc.
“Furthermore, the Inspector-General of Police has charged all Strategic Police Managers to deploy the additional distributed operational assets and manpower to ensure the emplacement of a proper security arrangement for the upcoming elections as all hands must be on deck to ensure that the elections are conducted in a peaceful and secure environment,” he added