The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has revealed that the force has recovered 182 sophisticated arms and 430 ammunition of various calibres in one month.
Against this backdrop, the IGP has ordered continuous mop-up of illicit arms and ammunition ahead of Saturday’s governorship and State Assembly elections.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, the IGP had ordered all commands and formations to intensify efforts towards curbing the proliferation of illicit arms and ammunition in the country.
He said: “The IGP confirmed that within one month from the handover of previously recovered arms and ammunition to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW) on the 16th of February, 2023, the Nigeria Police has recovered additional 182 sophisticated arms and 430 ammunitions of various calibres.”
Baba has also extended additional human and logistic support to commands and formations across the country for effective election security management during the forthcoming gubernatorial and state Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 18, 2023.
The additional support includes the deployment of personnel, operational vehicles, non-lethal weapons, personal protective equipment (body armour) and anti-riot equipment among others.
the statement further avowed: “In the same vein, 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.”
