TheCable

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said they have recovered 430 ammunition of various calibres and 182 illicit arms across the country within a month. 

Usman Baba, inspector general of police (IGP), on Tuesday, said the arms would be handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).

Baba also ordered all commands and formations to intensify efforts toward decimating the proliferation of illicit arms and ammunition in the country.

He also said additional human and logistic support should be extended 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, March 18, 2023”.

“The additional support includes the deployment of personnel, operational vehicles, non-lethal weapons, personal protective equipment (body armour), anti-riot equipment, etc,”  Baba was quoted in a statement by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the force spokesperson.

The IGP also ordered the continuous mop-up of illicit arms and ammunition across the nation as part of efforts of the force to curb the trafficking of illicit small arms and light weapons (SALW) and mitigate any form of insecurity to the ongoing electoral processes and general safety of Nigeria.

He 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”.