I-G constitutes committee to destroy recovered illegal arms, weapons

The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Ibrahim Idris, said he had constituted a committee for the destruction of 10,000 illegal firearms and prohibited weapons recovered from members of the public.

Idris made this known on Thursday in Abuja at a meeting with officers at the rank of Commissioner of Police and above.

He said that the arms to be destroyed were recovered during the weapons mop-up operations carried out by the police across the nation some time ago.

Our correspondent recalls that the mop-up of the illegal arms was ordered by the police authorities following recurring violent attacks on innocent Nigerians by gunmen across the country.

The categories of the prohibited weapons were artillery, apparatus for the discharge of any explosives of gas diffusing projectile, rocket weapons, bombs and grenades.

Others were Machine guns and machine-pistols, military rifles, those of calibers 7.62mm, 9mm, .300 inches, Revolvers and Pistols, whether rifled or unrifled (including flint-lock pistols and cap pistols).

They also included Pump-Action gun of all categories and other firearms/lethal weapons fabricated to kill.

Idris said that 26,000 illegal ammunitions were also recovered in the mop-up operations.

He said that members of the committee, headed by Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Operations, comprised UN organs, ECOWAS, Presidential Committee on Prohibition of Small Arms and Light Weapons and other critical stakeholders.

He announced that the destruction of the arms would be carried out before the 2019 general elections.

“The government and people expect much from us in ensuring security and safety as we go into the 2019 elections.

“The Force will no longer tolerate laxity on the part of any commissioner of police who fails to be proactive in dealing with crisis and other violent crimes in their areas of responsibilities.

“We have to do more in ensuring adequate security throughout the country from now on to the 2019 elections and beyond,” he said.

He restated the commitment of the force to reduce crimes and criminalities in the country to the barest minimum.

Idris pointed out that the current security situation in the country required more efforts, commitment and dedication to sustain the level of peace achieved so far in the country.

He said that the 96 suspects arrested in the recent Kaduna crises were being prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.

“We must fine-tune and strengthen our strategies proactively to prevent such occurrences anywhere in the country,” he stressed.

The police boss said that more patrol vehicles and police personnel have been deployed to Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) commands to sustain the peace and normalcy that had been restored.

He disclosed said that the 400 suspects arrested by the police in connection with the disturbances in the FCT between Sunday and Tuesday would be charged for terrorism.

In a related development, the I-G on Thursday decorated three newly promoted Deputy Inspectors-General of Police and three Assistant Inspectors-General of Police with their new ranks.

The promotions were recently approved by the Police Service Commission (PSC).