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From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Police Force Headquarters, Abuja, yesterday, handed over 3,980 arms of different calibres to the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW).
The weapons include 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) and 16 locally made rocket launchers. Others are two locally made Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns; seven Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs); 2,358 assorted calibres of ammunition and 1,057 assorted cartridges.
Presenting the arms to officials of the NCCSALW at a brief ceremony at the Force Headquarters, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba, said the exercise was part of the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force to curb the threat of the proliferation of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) trafficking within the country.
Represented by DIG Danmallam Mohammed at the occasion, the IGP said the Nigeria Police Force, 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 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 IGP, while re-affirming the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to partner with the NCCSALW, said 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.
