In a bid to curb proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country, over 3,980 different calibres of arms recovered, have been handed over to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW, by the Nigerian Police Force, NPF.
This information was disclosed by CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, Force Public Relations Officer on Thursday.
The activity supervised by the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, according to the Force Spokesperson, is part of the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force, as a lead agency in internal security management, to curb the threat of the proliferation of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons, SALW, trafficking within the country.
The weapons handed over by IGP Baba include the following arms; 265 automatic rifles; 146 pump action guns; 1,909 locally fabricated pistols; 1,500 locally made single barrel guns; 98 locally made double barrel guns; 46 General Purpose Machine Guns, GPMGs; 16 locally made rocket launchers; 2 locally made Anti-Aircraft, AA, guns; and 7 Rocket Propelled Grenades, RPGs.
Also, 2,358 assorted calibres of ammunition and 1,057 assorted cartridges were equally handed over to the NCCSALW.
The Police boss said that the NPF under his leadership has been evaluating and re-evaluating its operational strategies while strengthening institutional capacity in relation to the generation of actionable intelligence and the conduct of special operations directed at proactively checkmating the menace of arms proliferation.
He also directed Commissioners of Police in charge of State Police Commands and their supervisory Assistant Inspectors-General of Police including Heads of Tactical Units of the Force to aggressively sustain the mop-up exercise in order to actualise the mandate of the Federal Government on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.
The Inspector-General of Police re-affirmed the commitment of the NPF and his assurance that the Force will continue to partner with the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, NCCSALW as both institutions strive to achieve the mandate of the Federal Government on the control of the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the country.
